RIACMET chapter 256

 

The underground warehouse was empty except for a table and chairs. Chu Yi spread out the blueprints on the table for final confirmation.

“I’ve got it, Mr. Chu. Just sit here and wait for me.”

Xiaoya said, pulling a handful of candies out of her school uniform pocket and handing them to him.

“You’ve got dark circles under your eyes. Brother Tang Ji said you haven’t been resting well lately.”

They only needed to follow orders—Chu Yi was the one doing all the hard work.

“Thanks.”

Chu Yi accepted them without hesitation, then suddenly remembered to ask,

“Xiaoya, why do you call Jiang Nian, Li Liang, and Tang Ji ‘brother,’ but call me and Cheng Jing ‘mister’?”

“Uh…”

Xiaoya was a little flustered.

“You look older than Brother Tang Ji and the others, and you’re our leader, so…”

How should she put it? Calling him “mister” just felt more respectful.

“… ”

Chu Yi touched his face.

“Do I really look that much older than them?”

“…”

Xiaoya didn’t immediately deny it. She stared at him in silence for a moment, then cautiously asked, ”

“Then…how old are you compared to Brother Tang Ji?”

Chu Yi replied:

“More than seven years.”

“Oh.”

Xiaoya understood. Generally speaking, that meant he was about eight years older. After thinking it over, she said thoughtfully,

“Before the apocalypse, the uncles in our hometown who were just seven or eight years older than me were already…”

“Ahem…”

Chu Yi almost lost control of his facial expression.

“You mean I look older than Tang Ji—like we’re from different generations?”

Too much stress and overwork can make people age faster.

“Ah, no…no…”

Xiaoya realized her connection to Tang Ji, lowering her head in fluster.

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant … You, Mr. Cheng, and the others always look so serious. You’re the leaders, so I didn’t feel right calling you ‘brother.’”

“Alright…”

Chu Yi rubbed his forehead at that.

“It’s fine. You can keep calling me that. Don’t be nervous. I was just asking casually.”

It’s better to be called ‘mister’ than ‘uncle.’

Xiaoya let out a relieved breath.

“Okay, then you take a break here. I’ll get to work.”

With that, she turned and walked into the warehouse, exhaling softly. She was a bit nervous, but she had spoken the truth—she hadn’t meant to pick a fight or be rude.

She was very surprised to learn that Tang Ji and Chu Yi were in love since they were different from other couples. Perhaps because of Chu Yi’s position, they didn’t exhibit the typical clinginess in their daily interactions.

…

Short-range teleportation is harder to control than long-distance teleportation and consumes more mental energy. After all, teleportation is an advanced form of instant movement and comes with the natural trait of extreme speed. If you aren’t careful, you could destroy the target.

However, Xiaoya was very skilled at operations like these and had good control.

By the time she had transported the targets according to the blueprints, Chu Yi had fallen asleep in his chair.

Xiaoya walked out quietly, wiped the sweat from her face, and sat down a short distance away to wait. She couldn’t get too close or Chu Yi would wake up and become alert.

Excessive mental exertion could cause dizziness and nausea, which could be helped by eating sweets or heavy snacks.

That’s why, aside from her older brother, Jiang Nian, who always kept an eye on her, the others around her often gave her candy and snacks.

She was grateful for their care and attention, so she gave her all to complete every task, no matter how difficult.

…

About an hour later, Chu Yi woke up on his own. He saw Xiaoya sitting on the ground eating spicy strips. He calmed down, stood up, and walked over.

Xiaoya handed him the last two pieces of “giant knife meat[mfn]“Giant knife meat” (大刀肉 dàdāo ròu) is a type of spicy snack food from China. It’s usually made from wheat gluten or soy, cut into wide slices that look like thick pieces of meat. The name makes it sound dramatic, but it’s really just a chewy, spicy snack.[/mfn]” and led him to inspect the storage area she had moved with her superpowers.

Once the inspection was complete and the warehouse was sealed and disguised, their mission was finished.

…

The villagers chose to follow them back to the South City Base. The next morning, the legion convoy began the journey home.

Chu Yi sat in the front passenger seat of a four-seat military truck. A soldier drove while Tang Ji and Xiaoya sat in the back.

After all, Xiaoya was still a child, and her words and questions could be childish at times, but Tang Ji could chat with her endlessly.

As Chu Yi listened to their conversation in the backseat, he suddenly recalled his talk with Xiaoya yesterday and felt uneasy.

They say there’s a generation gap every three years. Between him and Tang Ji, there was a two-and-a-half generation gap. The phrase “an old ox eating young grass” popped into his mind.

Did Tang Ji know how big the age gap between them was? Did he feel that Chu Yi was too old in his heart?

They had confirmed their relationship, but they’d never discussed this issue.

At first, Chu Yi thought he would wait until they got home to bring it up, but that night, when they stopped to camp and he saw his boyfriend looking cool and youthful after washing up and changing out of his uniform, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He found an opportunity and asked,

“Xiao Ji, I’m seven years older than you. You knew that, right?”

Tang Ji, who was tidying up the tent and preparing the sleeping bags, turned to look at him.

“I know. What about it?”

When he realized he had feelings for him, he went through Chu Yi’s profile countless times, using his position to access the data, including his family relationships. He knew everything:

Chu Yi had siblings who were all part of the formal system before the apocalypse. They were now high-ranking officials at Base K, and they lived well. His parents were there too.

This was also why Chu Yi could work at the South City Base without interference.

“You really don’t mind at all?”

Chu Yi asked again, maintaining a casual demeanor, though he was actually quite nervous inside.

“Of course I don’t mind!”

Tang Ji replied firmly. He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Seeing Chu Yi’s strange expression, Tang Ji frowned and walked over.

“Brother Chu, what’s wrong with you? Are you planning to change your mind and dump me?”

He’d been fine yesterday, so why bring this up suddenly? That wasn’t normal.

Chu Yi felt reassured by his confident answer. He sat on the ground and looked up at him.

“It’s nothing. There’s no way I’d regret it. I was just afraid you’d think I’m too old.”

“Huh?”

Tang Ji was stunned. Then he sat down next to him and asked,

“How old is that? Isn’t this the prime of a man’s life? Some people are a whole generation older. What’s our age gap in comparison?”

Usually, when guys talk like this, they’re planning to break up. He’d seen this routine in real life, all over the internet, and in movies and dramas.

Chu Yi smiled.

“I’m glad you don’t mind.

“You’re acting weird.”

Tang Ji leaned in and stared at him for a moment. He didn’t seem like he wanted to break up. Suddenly, he remembered something and cautiously asked,

“Are you under too much pressure lately? Feeling like you’re falling short somehow?”

If a guy doesn’t want to break up but suddenly loses confidence in front of his partner, something must be going on.

“…”

Chu Yi quickly and confidently denied it:

“No, it’s got nothing to do with work. I’m definitely not falling short. I just suddenly remembered the big age difference between us. I was worried that you didn’t know I’m that much older than you, so I asked.”

Hearing that word—”falling short”—from his boyfriend’s mouth was like a direct hit. He suddenly felt the urge to prove himself on the spot.

“Oh.”

Tang Ji lowered his head.

“But we’ve been together this long. I don’t feel great when you say things like that.”

If age really mattered, they never would have fallen for each other in the first place. Foolish.

“I’m sorry.”

Chu Yi apologized sincerely and patted his shoulder.

“I was just afraid you didn’t like me. That’s all. I didn’t mean anything else.”

It was his fault for letting Xiaoya’s careless words bother him.

Tang Ji grabbed his collar in frustration.

“Even if I hated myself, I’d never hate you!”

He got so angry that he bit down hard on his lip.

“Ugh…”

Chu Yi grunted in pain, then pulled him into his arms and bit him back with force.

He bit him until he went limp and obedient. Then, he finally let go. Chu Yi licked the spot he’d bitten, hugged his breathless partner close, steadied his breathing, and spoke gently.

“Be good. Don’t be mad. It was my fault.”

At the same time, he sighed inwardly. Thinking back, he realized that question really was dumb. It turns out that love really does lower your IQ.