L1LZDGD Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Qian Hui stared blankly at Nan Tingjin, his expression filled with confusion.

He didn’t know how to answer this question. It seemed… he truly didn’t understand Nan Tingjin well enough.

Back in the plant courtyard, they could only spend one day together out of seven. During those times, Nan Tingjin would teach him to read and write, and they would bask in the sun together.

He knew nothing about where Nan Tingjin came from or his past.

But… he also didn’t know much about his own past either.

Xiaozhi sensed something amiss. It slowly moved closer, its gaze fixed menacingly on Nan Tingjin’s neck.

Nan Tingjin met its stare, then gently brushed his fingers against the skin at the side of Qian Hui’s face before slowly releasing him.

He continued holding Qian Hui, waiting for an answer.

Qian Hui was still trying to think. Before, he never needed to ponder such things or know much about the world.

But since coming here, so many things had happened in such a short time.

Nan Tingjin’s words left his mind feeling jumbled.

He remained silent for a long time, unconsciously clutching Nan Tingjin’s sleeve, his thick eyelashes trembling now and then.

Nan Tingjin showed no impatience, maintaining this rare display of patience.

Finally, Qian Hui yawned, beginning to feel drowsy.

He rubbed his eyes, having seemingly forgotten what he was saying earlier. His demeanor was quiet and obedient.

Nan Tingjin looked down. “Go to sleep.”

Qian Hui nodded. Xiaozhi tugged at his sleeve from the side, signaling him to return to the tree for sleep.

As he picked up Xiaozhi to leave, Nan Tingjin stopped him again.

“Also,” Nan Tingjin asked, “where did you get the clothes?”

Besides the clothes, there was his new backpack, an endless supply of food, and clean water.

Qian Hui stammered, “I… I bought them.”

Nan Tingjin didn’t press further. “Don’t let anyone else see them.”

Qian Hui nodded obediently, murmured an acknowledgment, and turned to leave.

Nan Tingjin remained motionless, watching Qian Hui settle under the tree. The boy yawned before closing his eyes in exhaustion.

The night wind swept through, plunging the forest into deeper shadows. Nan Tingjin stood shrouded in darkness, his thoughts unreadable.

After a long while, he rose and activated his communicator.

Over the past two days, the four-person squad had sent numerous messages asking about Nan Tingjin’s progress. Their injuries were nearly healed, and they could come assist if needed. All they required was a specific coordinate.

They’d also provided detailed reports on Liang Jie’s situation, including that Liang Jie himself was now pursuing them.

Liang Jie’s target was two mutated plants, completely unaware of Qian Hui’s existence.

Nan Tingjin read the message content but chose not to respond.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest…

Liang Jie ordered his subordinates to clear and drive away nearby mutated plants.

Mimosa, having not rested properly for days, was already in a severely weakened state. It forced itself to continue searching.

But the dense vegetation of the forest hid many mutated plants, constantly interfering with Mimosa’s judgment.

Liang Jie didn’t care about that. “Hunters” could be tamed again if lost, but if they missed this chance to capture the man-eating flower and the pepper, it would be even harder to catch them later.

While the man-eating flower was severely injured and the pepper’s abilities hadn’t recovered yet, they needed to act quickly.

He took out a bottle of potion, poured it over Mimosa, and forced it to regain some energy.

Mimosa trembled slightly, then lifted its leaves again to carefully search for residual clues in the air.

The communicator beeped once. Liang Jie looked down to check the message—it was from Wen Jue.

“What’s the progress?”

Liang Jie immediately handed Mimosa to his subordinate and walked away alone.

After pondering for a long time, he still reported that the pepper had assisted the man-eating flower, and guaranteed, “Don’t worry, sir. They won’t be able to escape too far.”

Beneath the tree, Qian Hui’s breathing was even and calm—he had fallen asleep.

In his hazy dream, he found himself went back to the first day he met Nan Tingjin at the plant courtyard.

It must have been around 2 PM. Carrot had secretly taken him out to play, leading them all the way to the edge of the forest.

Qian Hui had never been to the forest before and was filled with curiosity, wondering if he might find other plants inside.

While Carrot was catching shrimp in the stream outside the woods, Qian Hui ventured in alone.

The forest was quiet. He wandered aimlessly, occasionally reaching out to touch the surrounding leaves.

Without plant companions, Qian Hui didn’t dare go too far. Just as he was about to turn back, he spotted a stone hut in the woods, with Nan Tingjin sitting in front of it.

Nan Tingjin also saw him and stood up.

Qian Hui had never seen a human before. Thinking it was a zombie, he panicked and turned to run, but suddenly heard a voice call out.

“Qian Hui?”

Qian Hui stopped and turned around, confused.

Nan Tingjin stared at him, as if afraid to scare him further. He softened his voice and coaxed, “Qian Hui, come here.”

Qian Hui hesitated, wondering if he should go find Carrot outside first.

In the end, curiosity won over reason. He slowly walked toward the little hut.

As Qian Hui approached, he realized it wasn’t a zombie.

Nor was it a plant. It could speak and even knew his name.

Could it be… a human from the picture book?

Nan Tingjin turned to look at him and said, “Come closer. Come to me.”

He stood at the bottom of the small house’s steps, unable to take another step forward. His expression was one Qian Hui had never seen before, and he couldn’t understand it.

But Qian Hui had only just woken up from the plant courtyard, and he was curious about everything.

This was his first time seeing a human. The Nan Tingjin before him looked very friendly, and he was much better-looking than the zombies he’d seen at work.

Feeling inexplicably fond of him, Qian Hui mustered his courage and took a step forward. When he was half a step away from Nan Tingjin, he stopped—only to have his wrist seized.

The warm touch felt strange and a little scary to Qian Hui.

“Don’t be afraid,” Nan Tingjin said softly, slowly pulling him closer.

He looked Qian Hui over carefully, as if checking for injuries, then pulled him into a hug.

The hug lasted too long for Qian Hui. He felt like he couldn’t breathe and pushed away.

Only then did Nan Tingjin release him, gently stroking his silver hair.

“…It’s really you,” Nan Tingjin murmured, as if talking to himself. “Not a hallucination.”

Qian Hui, bewildered, lifted his red eyes and slowly spoke, “Y-you… are…?”

He still struggled with speech, barely clinging to fragmented memories of language. He wanted to ask Nan Tingjin’s identity and why he knew Qian Hui’s name.

Nan Tingjin’s dark eyes lowered, studying Qian Hui for a moment before taking his slightly cold hand. “We’re lovers,” he answered. “I’m your boyfriend.”

Qian Hui nodded obediently, though not fully comprehending. “Mm.”

Morning sunlight filtered through the trees.

Lajiao climbed a tree, hung its backpack on a branch, and sat nearby munching on a cookie.

It kept glancing down, noticing Qian Hui still asleep.

For safety’s sake, Lajiao had kept its distance. If Nan Tingjin or the man-eating flower saw it and told Qian Hui that it hadn’t left even after saying goodbye, that would be too embarrassing.

But why hadn’t it left? Even Lajiao couldn’t explain.

Perhaps… because with Nan Tingjin here, it felt uneasy. And why hadn’t Xiao Baocai woken up yet? Was he sick?

Lajiao pretended to be worried, unwilling to admit it simply wanted to observe Qian Hui’s reactions.

To see if he was sad, trying to find it, or… if he’d just forget it all after waking up.

Lajiao took a big bite of the cookie when it heard a faint noise below.

Looking down, it saw a morning glory vine climbing up, likely drawn by the cookie’s aroma.

Lajiao bared its teeth, scaring away the vine, and stuffed the cookie back into its small backpack.

After a while, Qian Hui finally woke up.

He got up, washed up, and wiped Xiaozhi’s fangs clean before delivering breakfast to Nan Tingjin.

Nan Tingjin was under a tree nearby. Qian Hui approached and set down half a loaf of bread.

“Um…” He edged closer, gently tugging at Nan Tingjin’s sleeve. “I remember now.”

Nan Tingjin looked up. “Remember what?”

Qian Hui said earnestly, “I remember now. You’re the one who likes me.”

Nan Tingjin’s breath hitched. “Me?”

“Yes.” Qian Hui shuffled closer, his beautiful red eyes wide. “You were the one who wanted to be my boyfriend.”

He spoke with absolute certainty, just like last night when he’d confirmed they weren’t mistaken about each other’s identities. His conviction was unwavering.

The suddenness of Nan Tingjin’s question last night had caught Qian Hui off guard. He hadn’t been prepared.

In his dream, he’d recalled the past. Though he’d been much slower back then—Carrot had called him “a bit dim,” not very quick on the uptake—he was certain he hadn’t misremembered. Nan Tingjin had said exactly those words.

Qian Hui still remembered how he’d stayed in the little hut afterward. Carrot had come looking for him, thinking he’d been bullied, and nearly started a fight with Nan Tingjin.

After that, Qian Hui would often go to the forest to find Nan Tingjin. The plants couldn’t stop him at all, and they were too afraid of Nan Tingjin, so they could only let him pass.

Nan Tingjin was quiet for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He leaned closer to Qian Hui and asked, “Do you have a name?”

Qian Hui pressed his lips together unhappily, then nodded.

He took Nan Tingjin’s left hand and slowly wrote the words “Qian Hui” in his palm.

The strokes were crooked, and the character “Hui” looked like two circles, but it was still legible.

After writing, Qian Hui lowered his head and touched Nan Tingjin’s pinky finger. “Eh, is this what I gave you…?”

Nan Tingjin wore a crude-looking dark brown tail ring. Its material was hard to tell, but upon closer inspection, it seemed strangely familiar.

But Qian Hui remembered clearly—the wooden ring he gave was supposed to be light-colored.

What did he give? Nan Tingjin glanced at it briefly, but didn’t pay much attention.

“Qian Hui,” he said, “come back to the base with me.”

Liang Jie might come looking for them at any moment. Nan Tingjin didn’t care about the special ability of the the pepper, or the man-eating flower being hunted with a bounty.

The pepper had already left, but with the man-eating flower by Qian Hui’s side, they would be discovered sooner or later.

Once discovered, news would spread, drawing more people who coveted him and sought to capture him.

What Nan Tingjin wanted most was to take Qian Hui back with him and keep him hidden.

Whether he’d mistaken Qian Hui for someone else no longer mattered.

Nan Tingjin had always acted on impulse, never seeking anyone’s permission for his actions. This was the first time he’d considered it.

Qian Hui hesitated, then shook his head. “N-no, I can’t.”

At this, Nan Tingjin’s expression darkened.

“I need to find Carrot,” Qian Hui mumbled. “And there’s other things…”

He had to complete his mission and kill thirty intermediate-level zombies.

Suddenly realizing what might be happening, Qian Hui clutched Nan Tingjin’s hand tightly. “Are you leaving?” he asked, eyes pleading.

Seeing Qian Hui’s desperate expression, Nan Tingjin’s dark eyes grew even deeper. He didn’t answer, the suppressed emotions inside him growing stronger.

Unaware of this, Qian Hui lowered his lashes. “Can you stay with me a little longer?”

He didn’t understand human relationships, thinking Nan Tingjin wanted to return to his companions.

Nan Tingjin didn’t answer, as if deep in thought. Qian Hui’s attention returned to the ring on his tail.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but now that he looked closely…

Qian Hui leaned in, carefully touched the ring, and finally confirmed that the familiar character “Hui” was engraved on it.

But the ring had changed significantly, especially in color. It looked… withered.

While he was still puzzled, he felt a presence draw closer beside him.

Qian Hui looked up, his nose almost brushing Nan Tingjin’s cheek.

Warm breath brushed against him. Nan Tingjin’s eyes revealed little emotion as he asked, “What do you think I’m doing here?”

Qian Hui felt hands press against his waist, making him nervous. He stammered, “Aren’t… aren’t you here for Xiaozhi…?”

He’d always thought Nan Tingjin had agreed not to take Xiaozhi away because he’d said so.

Being thrust into this strange new world had already given him so much to learn. He couldn’t think about anything else right now.

Besides, Nan Tingjin was his boyfriend. That was enough for him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qian Hui wrapped his arms around Nan Tingjin. “Then let me think about it some more, okay?”

He didn’t know exactly what he’d think about. He just knew Nan Tingjin seemed unhappy, so he needed to comfort him first.

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