Chapter 11
Yin Mingzheng had only returned for three days, but the atmosphere in the base and among the civilians was already completely different.
The most apparent change was the smiles on everyone's faces,
Especially when Shi Qing came out to play. The little guy with a healing ability that was brought back by Yin Mingzheng loved to stroll around the streets.
There were plenty of people displaying their wares in the outskirts of the base. Most of it was a mixture of junk left over after the Insects invaded and items made by artisans to support their families after moving into the base.
They often had a flaw such as a weak body or a lame leg that prevented them from finding employment as a manual labourer or a soldier, which is why they could only think of other ideas to survive.
Before Shi Qing came, rarely anyone bothered to buy these things.
After all, who had spare cash to spend on baubles these days?
But Shi Qing simply adored them. Ants made from grass, baskets woven from branches, and a video game console from before the apocalypse that was ancient to him.
His mouth might arrogantly say "You humans are so backwards when it comes to technology", but his body sincerely worked to buy it all up. He was like a little mouse working hard to stockpile his stash, buying a whole bunch of strange trinkets every day.
Yin Mingzheng had to dedicate an entire room in his not too small house to Shi Qing's growing collection.
The citizens welcomed Shi Qing not only because he was a big spender, but also because of his healing ability.
Although Shi Qing was brought back by Yin Mingzheng, he didn't become part of his squad of ability users. He couldn't be deployed onto the battlefield either. From the time his ability manifested, if he wasn't treating Yin Mingzheng's injuries then he was using his abilities in exchange for goods during his shopping spree.
In the eyes of many, he got the short end of the deal.
That was a healing ability!
Even in the squad that gathered all of the base's elite ability users, there was only one healer.
And since there was a limit to how much he could heal, his services were limited to military personnel. Regular civilians couldn't even catch a glimpse of his face.
Then Shi Qing appeared.
This beautiful youngster with an innocent face was quick to agree when a hawker begged him to treat his child during his daily stroll.
As Shi Qing stood before the healed child, he became a Buddha-like figure to many onlookers.
The brass of the base quickly caught word of the situation and sent a representative to hint to Yin Mingzheng to keep a closer eye on Shi Qing. He was an ability user, so he should be behaving like one. How could he waste his powers to heal citizens that contributed little to the base? Someone with a rare ability like Shi Qing should serve all of humanity instead.
If it was the him from before, Yin Mingzheng would definitely agree.
He used to be that kind of sincere fool. As long as someone said that it would benefit everyone, he was willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to make it happen.
But now, Yin Mingzheng saw the smart computer's simulation results.
He slowly changed.
After he returned, the base's management immediately presented him with the corpses of the people who assaulted him and dragged him onto the plane. Even the pilot wasn't spared.
Yin Mingzheng smiled at them as if nothing was wrong. He expressed a desire to let bygones be bygones.
He continued smiling as they breathed a collective sigh of relief.
He wasn't blind. The person that ambushed him was in a middling position. If someone with more authority wasn't backing him, how would he dare to attack Yin Mingzheng?
He forgave these people because they were already dead.
He had noted down the ones that were left in his heart.
They've stabbed him in the back, so how could he let Shi Qing become one of their pawns?
Until Yin Mingzheng could consolidate power, Shi Qing must remain under his wing.
So Yin Mingzheng smiled apologetically as he heard the pitter-patter of the youth's feet as he ran over: "Shi Qing is still young and inexperienced, so I don't plan on taking him outside."
The visitor immediately had a 'even the hero of humanity can spoil a person' expression on their face.
But as he looked at the obedient and fae-like youth sitting on the man's lap while peeking at him with those silvery eyes, he couldn't help but give a thumbs up in his head.
Beautiful people were already in short supply on the base, but someone who was also as pure as Shi Qing was definitely one of a kind.
No wonder Yin Mingzheng was so protective of him.
But the more careful he was to hide Shi Qing, the more fatal his weakness became.
The person sent to test Yin Mingzheng left. Shi Qing stared after him curiously. "Mingzheng, who's that?"
"No one important."
Yin Mingzheng closed the door and poked Shi Qing on his nose when he went to paw at the door. He laughed: "You're more popular than me in the base now."
The alien youth smiled proudly.
The man wanted to remind him to be careful when playing outside. Although the top brass outwardly seemed happy at his return, they were seething inside. Shi Qing, being the one that came back with him, naturally had many eyes on him. It was important to be aware of his surroundings to prevent others from taking advantage of him.
But when he saw the youth look at him with those joyful eyes, Yin Mingzheng couldn't find it in him to say those words.
Shi Qing was originally just fine on the ship with billions of robots to protect him.
Yet due to his selfishness, Shi Qing was deceived into coming to the base. He even passively allowed Shi Qing to naively not summon his robotic bodyguards.
Their grievances were with him, so why drag a bystander like Shi Qing in?
Yin Mingzheng swallowed back the words in his mouth. He smiled indulgently at the youth: "Remember to take a few members of the squad when you go out to play. Some of them happen to be around the same age as you, so it's a good opportunity for them to relax."
"Okay!"
Shi Qing immediately agreed. He saw that Yin Mingzheng was making the bed, so he pounced on him from behind. The several tonnes of force that suddenly assaulted Yin Mingzheng almost pressed him to death.
Yin Mingzheng's vision was still recovering from turning black when the voice of the youth urged him from beside his ear:
"Let's go through the sequence!"
He could only turn around with great difficulty to encircle the savage little leopard into his arms.
This foolish little guy.
How could he possibly not worry about him?
General Zhao returned from his meeting with an ashen face.
When he saw his daughter come back from her shopping spree, his expression became even more twisted: "I told you to earn Yin Mingzheng's trust and pull him into our folds, but all you know how to do is buy stuff!"
"Of course I want to be with Yin Mingzheng. But how is it my fault that he likes men? Dad, you weren't there to see it. He was treating that little rat from who knows where like a treasure that fell from the sky."
Zhao Miaomiao's felt like her face had been ripped off, "I'm already working so hard, but Yin Mingzheng won't even look at me! There's nothing more I can do!"
General Zhao snorted disdainfully, "Then go have fun shopping. When Yin Mingzheng makes it big and takes over the base, just watch how he deals with our family. You know how he is with anyone that isn't his subordinates."
After that, he stalked away with a cold face leaving a green and white Zhao Miaomiao to stomp her feet in frustration.
Her friend beside her didn't expect to see the two fight. She awkwardly tried to comfort her: Miaomiao, don't be sad. He's just a little ruffian that's caught General Yin's attention because he's a new face. Things will change soon."
"How about this?"
She enthusiastically devised a scheme: "General Yin hates those that abuse their authority the most, so why don't you..."
On the other side, Shi Qing once again spent the entire night comfortably with Yin Mingzheng. The next day the man left to eradicate some pests outside again, so Shi Qing set off with a small basket to roam the markets.
But just as he walked to the other side of the street, a sloppily dressed man rushed over and began to frantically kowtow to Shi Qing.
"Little Master, I do not dare to take your money anymore. I'll never do it again, so please spare me. My family can't go on like this."
He was a grown man crying hard enough to affect the mood of those around him. It was a tragic sight.
Then, before Shi Qing could speak, he began to weave a tale of how "Shi Qing abused his authority by taking his merchandise without paying and ransacked his house when he demanded payment", all while still sobbing.
Shi Qing: [...]
[I'm really beginning to doubt that Miss Zhao's IQ.]
Speak of the devil and they shall appear. Zhao Miaomiao arrived in a swirl of white clothes. Her saintly aura was on full blast. She held her mouth in shock after taking in the scene as she walked over.
"What happened here? Please don't cry, sir. Shi Qing, quickly apologize to this man."
Seeing someone come to his aid, the man began to vulgarly curse out the youth.
Zhao Miaomiao took a covert glance at Shi Qing.
Based on what she knew, this ruffian that has been pampered by Yin Mingzheng has quite the temper. Whenever something didn't go his way, he would throw a tantrum. Even Yin Mingzheng couldn't handle him and had actually been hit several times during their arguments.
Could Shi Qing withstand this humiliation?
Hurry up and cause a scene.
The further he went the better.
If Shi Qing escalated the situation and killed this civilian in a fight, this matter couldn't be swept under the rug.
This method might be simple and brutal, but Shi Qing did appear to be the pure (dumb) and innocent (naive) type that was easily provoked.
She waited with bated breath for Shi Qing to snap.
Under the countless gazes of the crowd, the youth well known for his short temper and thin face stepped back.
–And began to cry.
Zhao Miaomiao who was waiting for him to lose his temper: "..."
She turned around to see the surrounding civilians looking at her with disdain.
Zhao Miaomiao again: "..."
Somehow things aren't going the way she had imagined them to.
Chapter 12
When Yin Mingzheng heard the news and rushed over, a group of people dressed like civilians were gathered around a sketchy man rambling on about something. The scene was in complete chaos, but he was able to immediately spot the youth in the crowd.
Shi Qing was hiding behind a junior member of his squad. He wasn't crying, but the corners of his eyes were red and he occasionally sniffled. That pair of beautiful silvery eyes couldn't help but glance fearfully at his surroundings.
Yin Mingzheng felt like a nail had been hammered deep into his heart.
He strode over with an icy face: "What is going on."
Yin Mingzheng wasn't loud, but the aura he radiated made everyone stop talking involuntarily. The disorderly crowd became silent.
In the end, it was the squad member carefully protecting Shi Qing who stepped forward. He did not dare to look at Yin Mingzheng's face as he recounted the situation: "Shi Qing came over to play, but a man suddenly came over to make a ruckus about him not paying for goods."
Yin Mingzheng's expression remained ambivalent. He glanced over at the sloppily dressed man. After seeing him avoid his gaze out of guilt, he understood what was going on here.
Zhao Miaomiao who had been squeezed to the side a while ago saw that he came. She still wasn't satisfied, so she came over to softly say: "When I arrived earlier, I saw that man begging Shi Qing to spare him so I asked him about it. Who would've thought that this child was so timid that he started crying? Since you're here, Mingzheng-ge, you should comfort him. Everyone's hearts hurt just looking at him cry for the past 20 minutes."
Zhao Miaomiao's words may appear to be generous and well-intentioned on the surface, but the underlying message was clear.
The other person was asking Shi Qing to forgive him, but he started crying. Not only that, he had to cry for an excessively long time. Was he a boy or a girl?
Could Yin Mingzheng really not be bothered by this kind of behaviour?
Yin Mingzheng really wasn't bothered.
When he heard that Shi Qing had cried for 20 minutes, he was stunned and then his heart began to ache.
The man closed in and pulled Shi Qing into his arms. He tenderly began to stroke his soft hair. His guilt became more complex as the youth stared at him with those red-rimmed eyes.
Shi Qing could have stayed on the ship and been spoiled to the moon. He could've had anything he wanted.
But he was naive enough to be deceived into remaining on this base. His position wasn't as inviolable as before, to the point where even a random passerby could bully him to this point.
His voice became softer as he thought about this. To the others, it seemed like he was afraid of frightening the youth:
"Shi Qing, were you scared?"
The ability user who had been shielding Shi Qing breathed a sigh of relief at the tone of his boss. He almost thought someone with a temper like Yin Mingzheng would put justice above personal feelings.
Zhao Miaomiao's eyes were about to bug out. She was almost screaming in her head.
Is Yin Mingzheng blind?!
Or is he deaf?
What young man cries for 20 minutes after being scolded a few times? He might look young, but he was at least 16 or 17.
Acting like this at that age meant he was either developmentally delayed or pretending.
How could Yin Mingzheng not see that?
Zhao Miaomiao was beginning to think that her attempts to seduce Yin Mingzheng were unsuccessful due to her approach.
Although she sometimes acted pitiful, she didn't dare to overdo it because of Yin Mingzheng's personality. She could only pretend to be generous and understanding in front of him.
But her efforts had no effect on Yin Mingzheng. It was like the man was ignoring her existence altogether, only bothering to coldly tell her to scram a couple of times.
At that time she thought Yin Mingzheng was just too straightlaced to appreciate someone like her.
However, it turns out that Yin Mingzheng just had different preferences.
He likes dramatic crybabies?
Yin Mingzheng didn't think Shi Qing was being dramatic at all. On the contrary, he believed that Shi Qing must have endured a lot to cry like this.
Billions of powerful robots were willing to serve him with all their might. Even if Shi Qing didn't issue orders, the more intelligent models would still attend to and accompany him.
In Yin Mingzheng's opinion, Shi Qing might hold the scepter and wear the crown, but he was just a child that had been spoiled his entire life.
In a foreign environment, even a small slight was unimaginably awful to a child like this.
"Mingzheng..."
Shi Qing called out pitifully. He buried himself into the man's embrace as if he was scared out of his wits. He sounded like he might start crying again: "I always give money, even more money than they ask for."
One civilian standing around didn't dare to speak when Yin Mingzheng first arrived.
When he saw his intent to protect Shi Qing, he gathered his courage and added: "He's telling the truth, General Yin. The young master is very generous."
"I agree. My husband wove a cricket out of grass last time and the young master paid more than he should for it. Everyone on this street knows that."
More and more people spoke out on Shi Qing's behalf: "The young master is a good and reasonable person. My son broke his leg while fighting the Insects. He couldn't find a doctor because he was just a mercenary, but the young master helped him out. He's a healer, so if he really lacked money he could just sell his services."
"Yeah! Plus none of us recognize this guy. He's not someone from our street. The entire outer zone sells their wares here, and I've never seen him before."
The words seemed to spark the anger of the crowd.
"Did he come here just to cause trouble?"
"He probably thought that the young master was an easy target since he's so young and impressionable. He even swore at him! Pah!"
Yin Mingzheng didn't expect so many people to stand up for Shi Qing. He knew before that Shi Qing got along with the residents of the outer zone and was welcomed here, but he thought that was because of his own reputation.
The scene before him made Yin Mingzheng feel proud like a parent watching their child grow up.
Was this how it felt like to raise a kid?
He tightened his hold on Shi Qing and addressed the crowd: "Thank you all for looking after Shi Qing today. He's still young and naive, so it's a relief that everyone intervened on his behalf."
Regardless of what really happened, it's safer to label Shi Qing as a young and ignorant child first.
Now to deal with this ruffian with unknown origins.
Yin Mingzheng got straight to the point. He could be tolerant towards innocent civilians. He could even sacrifice himself to protect them. But he had no such patience for those that came looking for trouble.
Besides, the entire base knew that Shi Qing was his, so how could an ordinary person dare to confront him like this?
The man raised his hands, and streams of black mist surrounded the instigator.
His voice was freezing: "Who sent you."
That person felt his knees go soft as the ability surrounded him. He couldn't even move a muscle.
His orders were to trap Shi Qing and prevent him from leaving.
Now he was the one that was trapped.
By a bigshot like Yin Mingzheng, no less. The entire base knew that he was the most powerful of all the ability users. He didn't even need to lift a finger to kill. Even if he were to run, it would be a futile effort.
The man was hired by Zhao Miaomiao, but through several proxies. He also didn't know that the rich young miss who seemed pure standing nearby was his employer. Seeing no way out of this situation, he scrambled to kowtow to Yin Mingzheng: "General Yin, General Yin please forgive me. Someone did offer me money to do this. They said that they wanted to teach the young master a lesson. You are a tolerant man, so please have mercy."
The ability user beside him knew how to read the mood. He immediately laughed and tried to reassure the crowd once he heard that there was a conspiracy: "Since there's a parent here this should be resolved quickly. Everyone should return to what you were doing while we figure things out."
Yin Mingzheng's protective behaviour since he arrived was reassuring to the civilians. However, they were also afraid after hearing that there was a mastermind behind this matter.
That person was likely powerful or influential if they were willing to go against General Yin. If they angered such a prominent figure, they could only wait for death.
The civilians dispersed.
The shoddily dressed man on the ground carefully raised his head now that everyone was gone. He accidentally met Yin Mingzheng's eyes filled with frost. A shiver went down his spine.
"Gen-General, you have to believe me. I really didn't want to do anything else to the young master, I just wanted to scare him! Just scare him a little!"
Yin Mingzheng paid him no mind. He glanced at his subordinate, who understood and immediately bound the man securely.
"Boss, I'll take this person back to interrogate him."
Zhao Miaomiao wasn't worried as she saw him being taken away. To ensure that he would die in front of witnesses, she ordered someone else to drug him beforehand. That man would be dead within ten minutes.
Even if they managed to get something out of him in this time, killing his direct superior would be enough to cover her tracks.
After determining that she could not be implicated, the woman in a white dress ran in front of the man. She said warmly: "Mingzheng-ge, we just happened to meet today, so why don't I treat you to lunch at one of my family's restaurants here?"
Afraid that Yin Minzheng would refuse, she added on: "Shi Qing has had quite a fright, so this could be just what he needs to calm down."
He can calm down, but he can't eat.
Yin Mingzheng was thinking about bringing back a new type of oil for Shi Qing to coax him. His face remained expressionless, and he said flatly: "No need. Thank you Miss Zhao, but I'll be taking Shi Qing home. Goodbye."
Another failure. Zhao Miaomiao grit her teeth.
Shi Qing just happened to open his mouth to ask: "Mingzheng, my feet are sore. Carry me back."
"Okay."
Yin Mingzheng scooped up the youth and lowered his forehead to touch his cool skin: "Sleep if you're tired. We'll be home soon."
"En."
The youth agreed obediently and snuggled deeper against the man's chest.
Zhao Miaomiao hated him so much! So much!
Isn't it just a case of the crying child getting all the attention?!
Anyone can do that.
She forced a smile onto her face as she chased after the two: "Then let's go back together. We just happen to live in the same direction...ah!"
The woman twisted her ankle and crashed to the ground.
Before Yin Mingzheng turned around, she slapped herself hard across her face to bring tears to her eyes. She pitifully held her left ankle as she stared at the man: "It hurts..."
"Hiss...I think I've twisted my ankle. Mingzheng-ge, can you help me get back home?"
Yin Mingzheng: "Sure."
Joy flashed through Zhao Miaomiao's eyes, but her expression remained apologetic: "Sorry for inconveniencing you like this. I know you promised to carry Shi Qing back, but now he'll have to walk because of me."
As she thought, Yin Mingzheng preferred this type.
The youth that was sweetly sleeping in the arms of humanity's hero opened his eyes at those words. He silently extended two of his fingers and began to viciously pinch the man.
Shi Qing's strength was not to be trifled with, but Yin Mingzheng didn't even blink as he took out the satellite phone that could be used inside the base. "Hello, I'm at the marketplace of the outer zone. General Zhao's daughter is injured here, please come and pick her up."
"Okay, thanks." The man hung up after briefly explaining the situation. He looked at Zhao Miaomiao who was still on the ground stunned by what just happened. "The medical corps will be here within ten minutes. Just sit tight and wait for them."
Yin Mingzheng nodded politely and turned with Shi Qing in his arms to leave. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
Zhao Miaomiao: "...Wait, wait! General Yin..."
"Oh, right."
The man glanced over his shoulder. Zhao Miaomiao became gleeful. She thought that he had reconsidered. But Yin Mingzheng said with a straight face:
"The fee for the ambulance is 1000 star coins. Don't forget to pay me back."
Chapter 13
Shi Qing didn't move around anymore after Yin Mingzheng finished speaking to Zhao Miaomiao. He was complacently laying in his arms.
Yin Mingzheng felt a tingling sensation. He looked down to see the youth guiltily rubbing the spot he had just pinched.
He was rubbing it while pretending to sleep with his eyes closed.
The corner of his lips unconsciously twitched into a smile. He pretended to not notice and carried him like this all the way home.
Shi Qing's personality was very easy for Yin Mingzheng to understand.
He was honest and straightforward, while sometimes acting out his little schemes. He never attempted to hide his actions though.
As expected, the 'sleeping' youth immediately perked up after being placed on the soft bed. He rolled around and caused a mess like he was a newborn dragon showing off his scales. He whined and pleaded for Yin Mingzheng who was about to go take a shower to stay with him.
Yin Mingzheng was patrolling the three layers of handrails in the outer zone today. The base had 18 layers of handrails, one on top of the other. It provided security against low-level Insects, who would become trapped even if they got in initially.
The soldiers stationed there 24 hours a day discovered that there were too many Insects trapped there, which is why they requested for someone to dispose of them.
Yin Mingzheng had the strange feeling that his mental fortitude and abilities had become much stronger recently. He was going to conduct an experiment using those low-level Insects.
Killing them was a tiresome task. Even though he was eliminating them at a steady pace, he still worked up a sweat.
If he was living alone like before, he could deal with it for one night and shower the next morning. But now he had a little leopard in his bed that valued cleanliness in himself and in others. He could no longer skim on his efforts.
He could only coax the little leopard that wanted to crawl onto him again into letting him go for now.
While the man was washing up, Shi Qing played around like a little dummy, rolling around on the bed and yelling out.
"Hurry up Mingzheng! I'm tired!"
"I'm hungry! Are you still not done!"
This was Shi Qing's unique way of sticking to people. He was perfectly capable of going to sleep as soon as he closed his eyes and getting something to eat from the nightstand, but he insisted on Yin Mingzheng accompanying him to do all those things.
Yin Mingzheng could only go faster after hearing him whine. Suddenly, he realised that the voice that had been acting spoiled since they got back was now silent.
The man shut off the water. He was planning to take a look outside after putting on a towel.
–Schwap!
The curtain in front of him was pulled open.
A youth with beautiful silver eyes poked his head in. N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l-B1n.
"Mingzheng, let's shower together!"
Yin Mingzheng only paused for half a second before yanking the nearby towel off the wall to cover himself in record time.
The youth seemed to be stunned by how quickly he reacted. He tilted his head with a confused expression: "What's wrong?"
The man ducked his head to conceal his ears that had become inflamed. He was almost stammering: "I'm done. You, you can go next."
He escaped out of the washroom just like that with only a towel on.
Shi Qing stood where he was and looked at his retreating figure with a lost expression.
[I'm willing to bet that he's using his ability. He's running way too fast.]
The System didn't understand: [You've already kissed and hugged, so why is he still like this?]
Although it could only see mosaics, it could put two and two together afterwards.
[Can't you see? Kissing and hugging is just a way to placate me. As long as nothing serious happens, he'll always be looking for a way to reject me.]
System: [...]
It was shocked beyond words.
Its astonished voice was shrill: [He still wants to push you off after you guys have gone so far? I've been enduring all those mosaics involving you two everyday! I've recited my mantras so many times I could read them in my sleep!]
[You aren't a human to begin with so you can remember even if you just saw it one time.]
The System didn't know how to respond.
It very quickly began to stutter again: [...But, if he rejects the Host, then what about the animosity value ah? The animosity value between individuals is hard to estimate, 50% and up is basically how strangers on the street feel towards each other. If you guys break up and don't make any mosaics anymore, who knows when his animosity will spike up in the next few years? Even if it's just for a moment, we'll still be rejected from the world.]
Shi Qing unhurriedly prepared to take a shower. [It's not enough for you to lower it to the level of a stranger, you insist on getting it even lower to a zone of absolute security. Why don't you guys save yourselves the trouble and just call it a goodwill value?]
The System faced the mosaic across its entire screen, it mumbled: [The higher-ups made the rules, so I can't just change it willy-nilly...]
[Host, you're already like this with Yin Mingzheng. Isn't he worried that you'll be sad if he rejects you?]
[I'm as sad as your mom.]
Shi Qing finished lathering himself up. He brought his hands together to blow out a huge bubble: [Look, the relationship between Yin Mingzheng and I is just like this bubble. It might look radiant and beautiful, but in reality...]
He pierced it lightly with a narrow and white finger.
The bubble disappeared without a trace.
[If I didn't stick to him like glue, do you really think he could treat me like he does now? Don't be fooled by his outwardly good and personable demeanour. His tendency to feel animosity towards others is two to three times the average person.]
The System blinded by all the mosaics: [...Then what can we do.]
[We'll just go with the flow. What else is there to do? I thought you were aware of what was going on from the moment he tricked me into installing a heart back on the ship.]
The System was dumbfounded: [What?]
[Don't you feel like his attitude then was the same as it is now? The only difference is that he was completely lying before and he's a tiny bit sincere now.]
[Right, let me remind you. Even if he's sincere now, it's only due to the guilt and responsibility he feels towards me. It's the same logic as if you had accidentally stepped on a kitten on the street so you take it home to nurse it back to health.]
After finishing, Shi Qing made a concluding remark with an astounded tone: [I thought you understood because you were so quiet these past two days, but you were more innocent than I expected. What should I do with someone as adorable as you?]
System: [...]
So it watched the Host and the Target be lovey-dovey for so long, endured the mosaics and worried about the Host falling in love and forgetting his tasks
But the two of them were both acting?
Shi Qing washed the suds off his body. [Huh. Did I forget to bring a towel in?]
The System was having a breakdown: [He was actually deceiving the Host, actually deceiving the host...]
Shi Qing: [Come one, don't be like this. Being lied to is no skin off my teeth. I don't care as long as I get to take advantage of him in return.]
System: [Deceiving the host...]
[Okay okay. Go back to reading your mantras.]
After comforting the System that was stuck in a loop, Shi Qing opened the curtain and called out in a sweet voice: "Mingzheng, I didn't bring a towel."
Yin Mingzheng was just drying his hair. He hesitated after hearing the youth's words before getting up to find his towel. When he walked over to the washroom to hand it over, he saw Shi Qing had completely pulled back the curtain and was standing there laughing at him.
Yin Mingzheng: "..."
He immediately looked away as he gave the towel over.
Then the hero of humanity turned around with a straight face and marched out.
But he had no interest in continuing to dry his hair when he sat down on the bed.
In the beginning, Yin Mingzheng only intended to calm Shi Qing down so that he didn't impulsively bring him back to the ship.
He was able to escape this time due to Shi Qing's trust in him. If he was brought back again, he would definitely never be able to return to the base.
Killing Shi Qing was still the best course of action.
But Yin Mingzheng couldn't do it.
Shi Qing's attitude of an innocent child and his pure-hearted reliance on him stayed his hand.
However, Shi Qing's unwillingness to leave him was also a bad thing. He was also unable to push him away with cold words like he did with Zhao Miaomiao. If he did that, with Shi Qing's personality, he would burst into tears before summoning his subordinates to kidnap him back to the ship. He would then probably press on him with several tonnes worth of weight to force him to go through the sequence everyday.
Whether he wanted to or not was irrelevant. Yin Mingzheng had tried to reject him before, and the youth might appear to comply on the surface, but he always found a way to entertain himself in the end.
Even if Yin Mingzheng ignored him, he could play for an entire day.
He was stuck between two dead ends.
In addition, he might be able to fool Shi Qing with the 18 years old excuse for now, but Shi Qing would find out one day now that he was living in the human base.
Even today, because they were living together, Shi Qing could come barging in while he was taking a shower. When Shi Qing was taking a shower, he could also...
The memory of that white skin flashed through his mind. The man's already red ears flushed an even deeper shade. He anxiously rubbed them a bit.
It was only a matter of time before Shi Qing learned the truth.
He might not be too angry, but it was more likely that he would press Yin Mingzheng down to go through a more serious sequence.
But Shi Qing was just a child in his eyes...
Although normal people wouldn't go through the sequence with a child.
Or stick around a child all day.
They most definitely wouldn't think about how to get rid of the child after doing almost all the things they shouldn't with them.
Yin Mingzheng had a moment of self-realisation while sitting on the soft bed.
He was a scum of a man.
No!
This isn't right!
He can't live like this anymore. What Shi Qing is looking for is a companion that can genuinely like him back. Yin Mingzheng can admit that he couldn't do that.
The only option was to find someone more suitable in the base to take his place.
The next morning, while Shi Qing was still bundled up snugly, Yin Mingzheng had already gotten up.
"Shi Qing...Shi Qing, it's time to wake up."
He warmly and gently woke up the youth. His resolve weakened for a moment when Shi Qing glanced at him sleepily while rubbing his eyes, but he quickly recovered.
"Do you still remember the ability user that helped you yesterday? His name is Cheng Jun."
Shi Qing shook his head, his voice muddled: "I don't."
But in his head:
[I do I do! That pretty boy wearing the hat! The one with big eyes, a perky nose, and a sunny smile that was so shy! It's just that he's a bit too young.]
Yin Mingzheng ruffled the youth's hair and consoled him softly: "I need to go out on an expedition for at least five days. Cheng Jun is my most gifted subordinate, and he's about the same age as you too. Why don't you play with him for a while? He'll protect you."
He noticed the strange way Cheng Jun was looking at Shi Qing yesterday, but he thought nothing of it then. Cheng Jun has been an orphan on the base since he was ten, so it wasn't unusual for him to be interested in someone as charming and quirky as Shi Qing.
Thinking about it, he was around the same age, had a good appearance, a powerful ability and truly liked Shi Qing. He was the best candidate.
The still half-asleep Shi Qing nodded obediently.
Although he wanted him to agree, his heart still sank at how quickly the youth nodded.
As he thought, this was still a child. He didn't care who was with him.
After washing up, Yin Mingzhen swiftly whisked Shi Qing away to Cheng Jun.
Cheng Jun could barely contain his excitement at the news. His face was red as he tried to sneak glances at the youth snoozing while holding onto the man's arm.
"Don't worry Boss! I'll definitely take good care of the young master! Definitely!"
Yin Mingzheng was worried that he would hesitate due to misunderstanding his position. He nodded: "En. I consider Shi Qing to be a little brother. Make sure to look after him."
Little brother!
Cheng Jun's eyes lit up. He nodded frantically: "Don't worry don't worry! I will definitely look after Shi Qing!"
"Come here, Shi Qing."
Yin Mingzheng lightly pushed the youth towards Cheng Jun: "Play nice with Cheng Jun for a while. Buy whatever you want; I've already wired the money to your account."
"Wu..."
Shi Qing wasn't quite awake yet. He nodded.
Not seeing even a trace of hesitance from the other person, the man's heart was somewhat sour.
He really was a little good-for-nothing.
But this could be a blessing in disguise. If Shi Qing didn't think about him, he would be free to develop feelings for Cheng Jun.
Yin Mingzheng pulled Cheng Jun over to give him a detailed list of instructions: "I've already prepared Shi Qing's meals, just remember to deliver them at the right time. At night...at night he can sleep at your place, but not on the same bed. Also, he liked to play and stroll outside, so keep an eye on him. Don't let him get into trouble with those second generations, especially Le Youyuan.
Le Youyuan was the leader of the second generations of the base. He was the one that played the hardest. He was the self-proclaimed arch-nemesis of Yin Mingzheng, and the person who organized the party celebrating his 'sacrifice'.
Cheng Jun nodded after each sentence, "Boss, I will guard Shi Qing with my life! He's completely safe with me!"
He's only just met him and he's already close enough to refer to him by name.
Yin Mingzheng was somewhat uncomfortable. He was beginning to suspect that he chose the wrong person.
This Cheng Jun's mouth was too slick.
He began to doubt his subordinate in his mind, completely ignoring the fact that he was praising him just a few moments ago.
No matter how uncertain he was, Yin Mingzheng still left the base with his squad.
He needed to let Shi Qing adjust to life without him.
The next day, Yin Mingzheng was reflecting on his choice. Cheng Jun was too young, and Shi Qing was too pure. If the two of them did something outrageous...
The third day, Yin Mingzheng's temper began to flare due to lack of sleep. The squad members were afraid of talking to him and provoking their boss into spewing fire like a dragon.
The fourth day, Yin Mingzheng eradicated all the surrounding Insects with a black face and immediately ordered everyone to head back to the base.
The driver was pushed by the boss to drive faster and faster on the way back. His forehead was dripping with sweat. He drove the vehicle like it was a racecar and barely made it back before he collapsed.
Damn, boss' temper was getting more frigid everyday.
The hero of humanity was the first to disembark. Carrying a video game console he brought back, he strode with his long legs into the base at a breakneck pace.
He had to see if Shi Qing had been well.
If something really did happen between him and Cheng Jun these past few days...
Yin Mingzheng suddenly froze. He stood where he was for a good two three minutes. The squad members behind him were all frightened into standing behind him as well. No one dared to make a sound.
At that moment, a lavish sports car that could only be driven inside the base drifted in front of Yin Mingzheng and honked arrogantly.
Beep–
This obnoxiously red car was all too familiar to Yin Mingzheng. It belonged to the most ostentatious and well-connected second generation in the base, Le Youyuan.
As expected, the familiar voice of that playboy came from within the car: "Hey, General Yin's back. Long time no see."
Yin Mingzheng didn't have time to mess around with him. He glared at him before preparing to leave.
But he froze once he saw his passenger.
His little prince was seated comfortably in the front of the obnoxiously red car. He even waved happily at Yin Mingzheng once he saw him.
–Crack.
The video game console in Yin Mingzheng's hand.
It broke.
Le Youyuan! Shi Qing was just a 10,000-year-old baby! How could you lie to a child!
Chapter 14
The person that Yin Mingzheng didn't want Shi Qing to interact with most in the base was Le Youyuan.
Le Youyuan could be considered the most powerful second generation in the base.
His father was a rare authority figure who wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty fighting the Insects, and he was often away outside. When the Insects first came, Le Youyuan was in his rebellious phase. After so many years, he was still in his rebellious phase. He lived to party, and more than half of the entertainment establishments in the base were built by him.
His confidence wasn't just because of his father's reputation, but also due to him being an ability user, something rarely seen among the second generations. It wasn't one of those wimpy powers either. He had the high-level ability to control fire.
Plus Le Youyuan was skilled at making money. When the base was first built, he immediately sectioned off a giant portion of land. When construction began on the inner and outer dwellings, he made a killing. It was only when star coins started coming into circulation and he exchanged his money that the higher-ups of the base discovered he was even richer than some of them.
He had money, influence, ability and even the support of his father. Le Youyuan's life was quite leisurely.
He played around with a group of second generations everyday. Even if the Insects invaded, to people like them, it just meant that they couldn't go wherever they wanted. The base was big enough to satisfy them.
The continued existence of several types of game consoles was also due to these second generations.
Yin Mingzheng was Le Youyuan's enemy from the beginning.
Of course, only Le Youyuan thought of it this way.
At the start, the reason for his hatred of Yin Mingzheng was simple. He could barely see his dad once a month, and all he did was criticize him for playing around. Then Yin Mingzheng popped out and did missions with his dad all the time. His dad even praised him compared the two of them relentlessly. Who wouldn't hate Yin Mingzheng in this situation?
He was the 'other family's kid', although he was too old now or then to be called a child.
When they first met, Yin Mingzheng was focused on raising his abilities to defend against the Insect race. He didn't have the time to feud with a chuunibyou.
It was exactly because of his holier-than-thou attitude that Le Youyuan despised Yin Mingzheng more than ever.
If Yin Mingzheng was happy, he wasn't. If Yin Mingzheng was not, then he was.
When he heard that Yin Mingzheng foolishly sacrificed himself, Le Youyuan held a celebration that went on for three days. If his dad didn't catch him in the act when he got back, he could go on until the day Yin Mingzheng returned.
Even though Yin Mingzheng wasn't afraid of this kind of stalwart enemy before, he was worried now that they might bully Shi Qing while he was away.
He was careful to always have his subordinates guarding Shi Qing wherever he went. In the end, Le Youyuan still got a hold of an opening.
The man was still standing in front of the red car holding that broken video game console. His face was dark. He ignored the smug Le Youyuan and stared straight at Shi Qing. He said quietly: "Shi Qing, get off."
"Oh okay."
The youth who was wearing clothes clearly not bought by Yin Mingzheng didn't feel like anything was wrong. He obediently went to unlock his seat belt.
"Don't ah."
Le Youyuan laughed as he held onto Shi Qing's hand. His handsome face was looking challengingly at Yin Mingzheng: "Little Shi Qing and I already agreed to go bungee jumping today. Even if General Yin is little Shi Qing's brother, you can't make him break his promises, right?"
He especially emphasized the word brother.
His smile grew wider as Yin Mingzheng's face grew more twisted: "It's almost time for our appointment. We'll be going, General Yin."
He waved and slammed on the accelerator. Within moments he was far away. The wind blew Le Youyuan's dyed red hair everywhere. Yin Mingzheng wanted to beat him up more and more.
The alien youth was still bad at reading the mood. He naively listened to Le Youyuan and stayed in the car. He even turned around to wave at Yin Mingzheng like Le Youyuan did. The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
Le Youyuan who was currently driving was amused by Shi Qing copying him. "Don't provoke him anymore darling, or else Yin Mingzheng might just go..."
–BANG!
In the blink of an eye, the man that was behind them arrived in front of the car.
The loud noise was due to his hand pressing down hard on the hood to forcefully bring the car to a stop.
The red sports car was silently spewing out white smoke.
Yin Mingzheng looked on darkly as Shi Qing, who seemed to be frightened, clung to Le Youyuan's elbow.
His expression was normal though, and his tone was even and could even be described as soft:
"Shi Qing, get off."
Shi Qing stared blankly at the man. It was like he didn't understand what was going on.
That was to be expected. After all, this was the first time the hero of humanity displayed his strength in front of him.
Le Youyuan was also scared out of his wits
Yin Mingzheng had never bothered to respond to his many provocations before out of consideration for his dad.
It was only now that he discovered just how frightening Yin Mingzheng's anger could be.
Although his back was covered by cold sweat, he felt pity after glancing at Shi Qing who was huddling against him. He quickly recovered his devil may care attitude and leaned back: "General Yin, Shi Qing and I already had an agreement. He's not a little kid anymore, so don't you think you're being too overbearing?"
He even turned to ask the stunned little prince:
"Right, little Shi Qing?"
Yin Mingzheng didn't say anything more.
He stared with frost-covered eyes at Le Youyuan and slightly increased the pressure on the hood. Everyone saw how the vehicle that was still valuable even now had a giant hole melted in its hood.
Le Youyuan swallowed nervously as he stared at that hole.
This was a threat!
This has to be a threat!
Would he be afraid of Yin Mingzheng's threats?
He arrogantly raised his chin: "My feelings towards little Shi Qing are genuine. There's nothing you can do to stop me from pursuing him."
The word 'pursuing' seemed to open the gates of hell. The man's face suddenly became outright demonic. Without any movement from him, another loud crash sounded out.
The front end of the car had been completely vapourized.
Shi Qing was better off because he was wearing his seatbelt. He just tilted forward with the vehicle, but his butt was still firmly on the seat.
The same could not be said for Le Youyuan.
He lived life on the edge, so why would he wear seatbelts? As part of the car disappeared, he fell out onto the ground. He was still holding a steering wheel in his hands.
Li Youyuan tumbled several times with the steering wheel before he managed to get up. He saw the man wearing a black windbreaker walk in front of the seat and unlock the youth's seatbelt. With that, the youth fell into his arms.
Yin Mingzheng easily caught his little prince.
The man frowned when he smelt the fragrance coming from Shi Qing.
He never used perfume, and so Shi Qing didn't either.
It was clear who sprayed this on Shi Qing.
Le Youyuan, whether it was before or now, enjoyed an above-average quality of life. He obviously did not use cheap perfume that offended the nose. The products he gave Shi Qing were all expensive name brands that he had picked out with care.
But this light and fresh perfume made the hero of humanity uncomfortable from the bottom of his heart.
It was like a male lion found out that other animals had marked its territory.
A real lion would go to great lengths to tear the bastard that dared to sully his possessions to shreds.
Yin Mingzheng wasn't an animal. He was a human. He could control himself.
So he only encircled his little prince and glared at Le Youyuan who was kicking up a storm.
"Yin Mingzheng! You actually trashed my car! Don't think that I, Le Youyuan, am afraid of you! You'll only take little Shi Qing away today over my dead body!"
He was scared after Yin Mingzheng's eyes bore into him without any emotion, but he puffed out his chest in the next second: "What? You think if you glare at me enough I'll let him go? I know all about the unsavoury business you've been getting into, little Shi Qing being a model example. What did you say to him? You said that he was like a brother to you, right? What kind of brother treats their siblings like that?"
"I've been silent until now because little Shi Qing was just too pitiful to explain this to, but since you're here I'll make it clear. Little Shi Qing, the things that Yin Mingzheng did to you..."
The man suddenly raised his hand.
Le Youyuan shut his mouth.
His eyes almost bugged out of his head as he froze while glancing at his lower body.
The entire base knew that Yin Mingzheng's ability manifested as a cloud of black smoke. Anything it touches, whether it be humans or Insects, would disintegrate into ash in a matter of minutes.
And now, the most important part of his anatomy as a male was surrounded by a thin layer of black fog. It seemed to waver and move around, as if it could touch his clothes in the next second.
One move could cause a lifetime of regret.
Le Youyuan didn't dare to move a muscle, he even took shallow breaths. This was a matter concerning his happiness for the rest of his life.
The perpetrator of his dilemma was staring him down with icy eyes. He held Shi Qing tightly in his arms as he warned:
"There will be no next time."
Maybe it was referring to Le Youyuan seducing Shi Qing.
Or his attempts to expose Yin Mingzheng's lies.
The man didn't clarify.
He just strode away with the youth obediently tucked against his chest.
No one there made a sound, including Le Youyuan himself.
He stiffly watched as the black fog dispersed after Yin Mingzheng's departure. By the time he looked up, he could only see a corner of the black windbreaker that was caught by the wind.
Yin Mingzheng remained silent the entire way back. The little fellow in his arms seemed to realise he was angry, so he didn't start to babble about what he had been doing the past few days.
It was only when the man quietly opened the door and placed him on the bed that he hugged his neck and asked: "Le Youyuan said that you lied to me. Is that true?"
Yin Mingzheng was about to take off his shoes for him, but he paused upon hearing those words.
"He said that you told Cheng Jun that I was your brother because you didn't want to acknowledge our relationship. Is that true?"
He sensed something from the man's silence. The usually cheerful little bird became sullen.
Yin Mingzheng had his head down this whole time, so he didn't see the expression on his face. It was only when a tear droplet fell onto the back of his hand that he discovered that Shi Qing was crying.
"Shi Qing..."
The man raised his head and looked helplessly at the person before him. He wanted to embrace him, but he didn't know if he still had the right to do so.
"You don't want to be my companion at all."
The corners of the alien youth's eyes had turned red. His tears continued to fall on Yin Mingzheng's hands. They burned his heart like magma.
It hurt. It was bitter.
It didn't let him speak.
He wanted to say it wasn't like that, but he found that he couldn't justify his actions.
His heart ached like a giant hand was squeezing it.
Yin Mingzheng had never felt like this before.
He wasn't dumb.
When he discovered that he was willing to give anything to stop Shi Qing's tears, Yin Mingzheng understood what had happened.
He really fell in love with Shi Qing.
When that thought crossed his mind, the hero of humanity felt an unparalleled sense of joy in his heart.
Everything became clear.
He didn't need to worry about the details or the future.
It would all be fine if he was with Shi Qing.
"Shi Qing..."
The man reached out a slightly trembling hand to wipe away his tears. He looked into those red-rimmed eyes and said: "I was wrong."
"But I've thought it through. I like..."
"So you were lying to me!"
The sobbing youth quickly stood up and pinned the unprepared Yin Mingzheng on the bed with his adjustable weight.
"Wu–"
Yin Mingzheng could hardly breath as he was crushed under a weight even heavier than before. "Shi Qing, listen to me..."
"No! You're just a liar!"
Shi Qing's white face was twisted with rage. He hit Yin Mingzheng with a pillow. "Liar! Liar!"
Yin Mingzheng was completely suppressed and could not retaliate. He could only try to recover in between the blows: "Listen to me, calm down first...Oof! Calm down."
"You calm down!"
The youth threw the pillow at his face. "If you don't want me, I'll find someone else to be my companion!"
He made sure to squish Yin Mingzheng one last time before hopping off the man with a huff and leaving.
Yin Mingzheng managed to push the pillow away with great effort. "No, Shi Qing wait..."
–Bang!
The door was slammed shut from the outside.
The man's chest hurt from being compressed as he got up. He held his aching chest, but it was like he was also holding his newly discovered feelings.
He felt empty and helpless inside. What was he to do?
Author's Note
Big Yin: It hasn't even been a minute since I realized I like little Shi Qing and he's already run away from home.
Chapter 15.1
Le Youyuan had just called someone to tow his car away. He was mourning his loss and cursing Yin Mingzheng out in his head for not having basic human decency. Just as he prepared to go back, he saw that the little darling that was just stolen from him came storming back angrily.
"Little Shi Qing!"
Le Youyuan was pleasantly surprised. He hurried to meet him. Like a husky, he circled around Shi Qing whose face was full of indignation: "Darling, why did you come back!"
Shi Qing grabbed his elbow. "I'm homeless now. Take me to your house."
"Yes, yes!"
The expression on Le Youyuan's face was like a big meat pie had fallen from the sky. His mouth had a crooked smile.
When he first found out that Yin Mingzheng had left the base and entrusted the child he brought back to his subordinate Cheng Jun, Le Youyuan was filed with malicious intentions. He wanted to woo Yin Mingzheng's lover to his side and make Yin Mingzheng wear a green hat.
He even thought out how to deceive him. With money, of course.
He heard that the child was young and that he was brought back from outside by Yin Mingzheng. It was likely that he was inexperienced in worldly matters. Just a few gifts and sweet words should be enough to charm him.
As a result, Le Youyuan was shocked when he met Shi Qing for the first time. This person who was very partial towards a pretty face completely abandoned all his schemes from before. After coaxing him to his side carefully, he wanted to give Shi Qing everything he had to win the beauty's favor.
At first, he was frustrated over that bastard Yin Mingzheng taking Shi Qing away, but then his darling came back by himself.
Le Youyuan felt like he could go to heaven right now. He murmured: "After we go home, I'll build you an amusement park and a racetrack. You like playing video games, right? I'll build a big gaming center for you alone, and..."
His excited voice stopped abruptly when he saw Yin Mingzheng walking slowly behind Shi Qing.
Even if his body was unharmed, a certain part immediately began to ache.
Shi Qing could guess who was behind him just by looking at Le Youyuan's stiff expression.
Yin Mingzheng had been following him the entire time.
He tried to explain himself along the way, but the youth just covered his ears and ignored him.
To be perfectly honest, even if Shi Qing listened to him, Yin Mingzheng still couldn't explain it.
He tricked Shi Qing to stay by abusing his trust in his companion.
After that, he tried to absolve himself of responsibility by pushing him onto Cheng Jun.
Yin Mingzheng didn't understand then, but after he thought through his feelings, he didn't think he could bear it if Shi Qing did the same to him.
His heart ached just thinking about it. Yin Mingzheng clearly realized how far he had gone before.
Shi Qing didn't want to listen to his explanation or go back with him. But if Yin Mingzheng really wanted, he could carry the youth home by force.
Although Shi Qing was definitely not a match for him if they were to fight, how could Yin Mingzheng possibly use force against him? That was why he could only act like a dog that was abandoned by its owner and quietly escort the youth all the way here.
Shi Qing was in an unstable mood, so he was worried that something would happen on the road.
He escorted him here, but Le Youyuan didn't dare to receive the person when he saw his guard.
When Le Youyuan saw the oblivious way that Shi Qing was holding his arm, all the hairs on his body stood up. He carefully glanced at the man in the black windbreaker behind Shi Qing.
If eyes could turn into knives, the cold light in Yin Mingzheng's eyes would've chopped him into minced meat by now.
Although he didn't want to act submissive, Yin Mingzheng's eyes were truly too frightening. For the sake of his happiness in the remaining half of his life, Le Youyuan swallowed nervously and offered a weak reminder:
"Little Shi Qing, look behind you."
"Don't mind him." The youth was still angry. He tightened his hold on Le Youyuan's arm: "I'm not afraid of him, let's go!"
Le Youyuan: "..."
Darling, you might not be afraid of him, but I am!
Seeing that he was still not moving, the youth looked up at him strangely. His clear silver eyes were filled with doubts: "Why aren't you leaving?"
A face as clear and beautiful as a bubbling spring was so close to him. Le Youyuan felt like he had just drunk a refreshingly cold bottle of water in the summer. His entire body felt comfortable.
His back straightened and his shoulders opened up. Yin Mingzheng didn't look as scary as he did earlier.
Yin Mingzheng stood behind watching Shi Qing pull on the arm of that guy surnamed Le who seemed to have been injected with chicken blood until they gradually left his sight.
The light in the man's eyes was dim for a moment. Soon, the expression on his face returned to its usual coldness. He followed him silently.
Le Youyuan was holding a beautiful young man on his right arm while being tailed by a hero of humanity like Yin Mingzheng.
He was trembling at the beginning because he felt like he was being stalked by a male lion who had its territory trampled on. But as he walked on, he noticed the shocked stares of the passers-by, and his chin gradually lifted.
What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen Beauty and the Beast?
Little Shi Qing was the one who wanted to follow him, so what could Yin Mingzheng do even if he's unhappy about it? Tsk!
This young master really was the most handsome in the world!
Le Youyuan gradually became more and more full of himself.
He even presumptuously reverted back to his usual languid tone. Raising his voice, he asked the youth beside him: "Darling, can I put my hand on your waist?"
Shi Qing: "Sure."
Le Youyuan: Hahahahahaha I'm so happy.
He reached for the youth's slender waist, but then he felt a burning heat pass by his hand.
What was that?
Le Youyuan thought it was strange so he raised his hand up to check. Then, before his eyes, the ring on his middle finger turned into black fog and vanished.
It could be inferred that if the owner of the black fog thought about it, his fingers could disappear as well.
Le Youyuan: "..."
He turned his head slowly and rigidly. He just happened to meet Yin Mingzheng's eyes.
The hero of humanity who was usually steady, easy to talk to and reluctant to use his identity to cause trouble for others had no expression on his face right now. A black fog was gathered above his palm.
Le Youyuan: "..."
The youth that was beside him didn't realize anything was wrong yet. He even asked in a clear voice after seeing that he stopped: "What's wrong? Didn't you want to put your hand on my waist?"
"No no, it's really hot outside. It's too hot to hold your waist."
Le Youyuan quickly turned around. As he spoke, he carefully pulled his arm out of Shi Qing's grasp. He was laughing as he coaxed him: "Darling, let's not touch each other after all. The weather is just too hot."
"Oh."
Shi Qing obediently let go.
Le Youyuan was relieved. He turned slightly and saw that Yin Mingzheng was still tailing him like a ghost without saying a word. He clenched his teeth in aggravation
He was not afraid of Yin Mingzheng.
This was just out of respect for little Shi Qing! Respect!
Anyways, little Shi Qing followed him back home of his own free will. Yin Mingzheng couldn't break in, right?
Just wait, even if he can't beat Yin Mingzheng in a fight, his ability to please people is way better than that old man.
Little Shi Qing will definitely decide to stay with him!
The youth that General Yin brought back went to stay at Le Youyuan's house.
The news quickly spread throughout the base.
After Cheng Jun heard of his return, he immediately came to ask for forgiveness with his head hung low. The handsome teen almost started crying out of guilt: "I'm sorry boss. I just didn't follow Shi Qing for an hour and that Le Youyuan came out and coaxed him to leave. I wanted to bring him back, but Shi Qing liked playing with him. I could only follow them around... "
"It's fine."
Yin Mingzheng's eyes were dark, but his tone was normal: "I looked into it. At that time, Le Youyuan sent someone to cause trouble on purpose. He was trying to lure you away. Even if you didn't fall for it, he had other plans as well."
Cheng Jun was stunned that Li Youyuan had planned this. He then grit his teeth: "So he did do it on purpose! Boss, he's always had a bone to pick with you. He must be thinking of using Shi Qing for some nefarious plot. You have to bring him back quickly."
Cheng Jun didn't dare to say anything about how he could redeem himself by bringing Shi Qing back.
It's fine if he's just dealing with Le Youyuan, but there was nothing Cheng Jun could do against the youth who knew how to act spoiled to get his way.
He liked Shi Qing to begin with, so how can he resist?
But the boss can definitely do it!
Yin Mingzheng glanced at his subordinate who was looking at him with eyes filled with trust. He dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
Your boss can't do it.
Your boss is weak to him too.
Shi Qing has made it clear that he was truly angry with him. No matter how much he apologized or followed him around, he refused to forgive him. He was also intentionally sticking to Le Youyuan like glue in front of him every day. They've almost played around the entire base by now.
Yin Mingzheng could barely pretend to be unaffected on the surface.
But his heart was bitter.
What in the world could be more tragic than finding out that you love someone, only to offend him a second beforehand which caused him to ignore you and go seek the comfort of other men?
Yin Mingzheng was a man who was as straight as an iron rod and devoted to his job for nearly 30 years. He can't even begin to think of how to convince Shi Qing to give him another chance.
The only way he could think of to deal with this problem was to act as a bodyguard when Le Youyuan and Shi Qing were together.
No matter how hard he tried, Shi Qing didn't even bother to spare him a glance.
Yin Mingzheng sighed.
His heart was bitter.
He might be bitter, but Le Youyuan was even more bitter than him.
Yin Mingzheng wouldn't do anything to Shi Qing, but he did not extend this courtesy to his rival.
He could deal with him following him around all day like a stalker, but he just had to use his perverted gaze to keep an eye on him all the time. Le Youyuan didn't even dare to touch the youth for fear that the action would result in a future without hands.
What could be more bitter than only being able to look but not touch?
Chapter 15.2
The happiest one in all of this was Shi Qing.
He played through all the fun activities, and he was still able to stroll around and buy whatever he wanted. Every day, he switched to a new outfit that Yin Mingzheng would have disapproved of. As long as he mentioned it to Le Youyuan, he could have anything he asked for. Le Youyuan has always been a generous guy. Even if he asked him for the Forbidden City, he would find a way to build it. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
Plus the animosity value was dropping fast.
People really were bastards.
The animosity value stubbornly refused to go down while he was acting cute beside him.
When he ran away from home, it dropped like a rock.
Shi Qing lived in the largest and most luxurious of rooms. The ground was covered with a fluffy white carpet. Sunlight shone through the window that spanned an entire wall. A few exquisite pillows were scattered around. In the afternoon, the youth was always wearing an oversized shirt while he napped on the carpet.
While he was awake, he liked to stretch his body like a kitten before rolling around comfortably.
He seemed more and more like a little prince that was beloved by all.
Shi Qing was rolling around happily today as well. He enjoyed the pleasant sensation of the soft carpet against his skin. The System who was also ecstatic called out:
[Ding! Yin Mingzheng's animosity value: 15/100]
As usual, it went down a little bit.
With this notification, Shi Qing knew that Yin Mingzheng was spying on him again.
The youth squinted under the sunlight in the direction of the floor to ceiling window. He lifted the collar of his shirt and sniffed it. His beautiful white face showed a satisfied expression.
He even nuzzled against the cloth with his face.
Yin Mingzheng saw such a picture from a nearby building with a telescope.
–Boom!
A rush of blood seemed to explode in the man's head. His ears were flaming red.
The oversized shirt that the youth had on was his.
Shi Qing liked to wear big clothes, especially Yin Mingzheng's shirts with a coat outside.
He was wearing this shirt before he left home.
Naturally, he wasn't being intimate with the shirt.
His actions were aimed at its true owner.
Yin Mingzheng had to rest for a long time before his blood stopped boiling. He continued to greedily take in every detail of the youth through his telescope.
In order to prevent Le Youyuan from doing something to his little prince, Yin Mingzheng, a man that never cared about where he lived before, bought a house beside Le Youyuan's mansion.
His strong sense of hearing and intuition were enough for him to monitor and punish Le Youyuan as necessary 24 hours a day.
Even when he was on a mission, there were other volunteers helping out with this project.
They also wanted to ensure that their future sister-in-law would not be bullied by an adulterer like Le Youyuan.
Le Youyuan had to admit defeat.
There's just no reasoning with this guy.
Ever since little Shi Qing moved in, he was constantly under Yin Mingzheng's oppressive surveillance. Before going to bed, he always had to worry about the possibility that Yin Mingzheng would snap and come to off him in the night.
The two of them might be living in the same house, but he didn't dare to enter Shi Qing's room.
After all, the last time he tried to go there, there was suddenly a big hole melted into the floor beneath his feet.
Is there anything worse than only being able to see but not touch?
Le Youyuan couldn't help but share his grievances after some wine during one of the scheduled meetings of the second generations.
The second generations were all indignant on his behalf and cursed Yin Mingzheng out for a long time.
Le Youyuan's heart felt warm. He raised his glass and stood on the table: "Is there any friend here who could give me some ideas to deal with him? I would be thankful for life!"
The second generations who were just avidly speaking out all became silent.
It was Yin Mingzheng they were talking about. Who had the guts to provoke him?
They only threw a party before because they thought that he was dead.
That man was 100% alive and kicking now. He could easily annihilate those who annoyed him with one move.
Le Youyuan faced a quiet room: "...Thanks a lot guys."
What a bunch of fair-weather friends.
He wandered outside alone. While he was downing a bottle of white wine to drown out his sorrows, a mouse-like fellow scurried over.
"Le-ge, I have a plan."
Seeing that Le Youyuan was interested, he smiled wickedly and pushed a packet into his hands: "This drug was refined from mutated plants. People who take it suffer an unbearable sensation all over until they do you know what. If you give this to that kid, he'll do anything you want, including that."
Le Youyuan looked down at the drug. He smiled and beckoned him to come closer.
That guy approached eagerly.
The person who was smiling changed his expression in a split second and socked him in the face.
"You son of a bitch! Laozi doesn't do that kind of shit. Get the fuck out of my sight!"
The guy was knocked unconscious for several seconds. Seeing that Le Youyuan was about to give him a good thrashing, he hurried to cover his face and scamper off.
Le Youyuan glared at the packet that fell onto the ground. He stomped on it furiously a few times before leaving. How could someone suggest such a disgusting way to chase after his darling?
After he left, Zhao Miaomiao, who was hiding behind a nearby pillar, came and picked it up.
One of the ability users under Yin Mingzheng who volunteered to protect Shi Qing contacted him with urgent news.
The man who was in the middle of an operation against the Insects frowned: "You're sure about the results?"
"Yes."
The ability user was confident in his answer. "We test all the food around young master Shi Qing, including Le Youyuan's as well. The bottle of wine Le Youyuan brought back today showed a reaction. It's been poisoned."
The man suddenly rose. Before the people around him could react, he had already disappeared
Back at Le Youyuan's villa, he was just about to happily open the bottle of red wine he had brought back from the bar. There was a youth bundled in blankets next to him watching TV.
Seeing him drinking wine, Shi Qing looked over: "I want to drink too."
"You're still underage, so you can't. I'll take you out to have fun when you're older."
After Le Youyuan finished speaking, he glanced strangely at the wooden stopper: "Why does this wine look like it's been opened before?"
Forget it, forget it.
He didn't care about it. He poured some out into a red wine glass.
He rolled it around in his hand a few times before preparing to take a sip.
–Boom.
The door was kicked open.
Le Youyuan still had the glass raised to his lips as he met the man's eyes.
Shi Qing, from his position on the sofa, was not surprised. He was pretty annoyed though: "What are you doing here?!"
Yin Mingzheng relaxed when he saw that only Le Youyuan had a glass of wine in his hand. His eyes darkened when he heard the youth's grumpy voice.
"I..."
His eyes fell on Le Youyuan, who was still frozen with his wine glass. The light in his eyes sharpened rapidly.
The hero of humanity stepped forward while focusing on the glass in Le Youyuan's hand: "Did you drink it?"
Le Youyuan: "...No?"
He also recovered his composure. It seems that Yin Mingzheng wasn't here to kill him. Knowing that gave him a sudden rush of courage: "Wait, General Yin, what's with your unannounced visit today? Are you monitoring little Shi Qing? Did you come here in such a hurry to ask if I drank because you're afraid I'll do something rash later?"
Yin Mingzheng stared at him coldly, until Le Youyuan gradually deflated again. He consciously shut up and stopped running his mouth.
Le Youyuan was afraid of him, but Shi Qing wasn't.
The youth threw off the blanket and stood up barefoot. He stalked towards the man in a fierce manner.
He was a head shorter than Yin Mingzheng. No matter how aggressive he acted, he needed to raise his head when yelling at him. He was just like an angry little penguin: "You were spying on me!"
Yin Mingzheng's eyes that were like icebergs melted immediately after looking at him. He denied without even thinking: "I wasn't."
"Then why did you suddenly come over?!"
Shi Qing felt his neck ache from looking up all the time, so he immediately shouted at the man: "Why are you standing so high up! Is it fun to watch me look up at you?!"
The man that was standing on the same floor as the youth sat down silently on the sofa so that Shi Qing could have the high ground.
Shi Qing looked down at Yin Mingzheng with satisfaction. He continued his interrogation ferociously: "Did you place me under surveillance?"
"No." Yin Mingzheng said in a deep voice.
He didn't think what he did could be considered surveillance.
It was more apt to call it protection.
Le Youyuan watched Yin Mingzheng change from a fierce lion to a pitiable dog with glee. He happily stoked the flames of conflict:
"Darling, don't believe him so easily. This old man is a crafty one."
"There must be a reason for him to break in so suddenly. It can't just be because he missed you."
Yin Mingzheng didn't even look at Le Youyuan. He just sat on the sofa and stared up at the angry youth.
"Yes, I missed you."
The angry little expression on Shi Qing's face faded for a second, and then he scoffed. Although he clearly wanted to act like he was angry, his tone became softer:
"It's natural for you to think about someone as great as me."
"So you really weren't watching me?"
Yin Mingzheng almost drank in the sight of the pleased youth in front of him. There was no need to think about his answer: "I really wasn't."
"Che."
Le Youyuan was dissatisfied as the atmosphere gradually became ambiguous between the two: "He might look like he's serious, but his mouth is as slippery as a fish. Little Shi Qing, you shouldn't be fooled by his act."
With that, he raised his glass to his mouth.
Yin Mingzheng suddenly turned around and said, "Wait!"
Le Youyuan jolted. Then he remembered that Yin Mingzheng probably wouldn't do anything to him with Shi Qing here. He grew bold again: "What exactly are you trying to do here?"
"Oh I see..."
Yin Mingzheng's whole body tensed.
Fuck.
He just promised Shi Qing that he wasn't being watched.
How was he supposed to explain this?
However–
Le Youyuan: "You couldn't stand to see little Shi Qing living with me, so you're trying to kill me with poison? You've tampered with this wine, haven't you!"
The chuunibyou young master recalled the drama series about the infighting within the imperial palace that he watched before. The more he thought about this theory, the more it made sense. After all, there have been cases of people being poisoned due to disputes over power and profit in the base:
"That's why the bottle seemed like it had been opened before. Look little Shi Qing! This old man is so malicious!"
Yin Mingzheng: "..."
He met the suspicious eyes of Shi Qing.
Shi Qing's previously happy expression slid off. His eyes grew red as he looked at the man, "You lied to me again!"
The hero of humanity felt his head go blank as he faced his tears.
On the other hand, Le Youyuan was still holding the glass smugly: "If I take this wine to be tested, everything would become clear. There just happens to be a laboratory near my house. Wait just a bit, little Shi Qing. The evidence will be here soon!"
He was about to go out with the wine glass as he said that. Before he could take a step, it was snatched from his grasp by the man who suddenly stood up.
Le Youyuan scoffed: "There's no point in stealing it. The more you act like this, the more guilty you look! I'll bring the testing kit here if I have to!"
Shi Qing was watching from the side. Yin Mingzheng had no time to think.
If he said the wine wasn't poisoned or that someone else poisoned it, it would be like calling himself a liar.
If he let Le Youyuan test it and there turned out to be poison, he still couldn't convince anyone of his innocence.
There was only one thought left in his head.
He couldn't let Shi Qing misunderstand him.
The next second, Yin Mingzheng downed the entire glass.
Gulp gulp.
He drank every last bit of the spiked wine.
After he was finished, he threw the glass towards the gobsmacked Le Youyuan.
The hero of humanity's voice was low and steady:
"There. I proved that it wasn't poisoned."
