Boundless – Chapter 63

That was just a simple kiss, a light touch before parting. Lou Jiu quickly helped Wen Qianshu fasten the restraint device: “Let’s go.”

They went downstairs. Lou Jiu quickly went to check on a few team members, while Shang Ci and Jiang Yao verified information. Wen Qianshu, wearing the restraint device, stared blankly at the ground.

Wen Qianshu had always been the type to talk when someone was around, and talk to 2333 when no one was. Her sudden silence made 2333 feel unaccustomed to it: “What are you thinking about?”

Wen Qianshu: “I’m thinking—”

She didn’t continue, just furrowed her brow.

She once again recalled the doctor standing by the hospital bed—it was as if she subconsciously knew that doctor was Mingyue, yet all the details of their interactions were like glass covered in a layer of mist, impossible to see clearly.

The world is beautiful, take a longer look before you go—

That place was definitely not a hospital. It was more like a mountaintop, vast and empty, so the echoes layered one upon another, like tides, lapping against her ears.

Take a longer look before you go—

A fierce wind rose, rustling the vast forest. It was a perspective overlooking the earth, but her line of sight didn’t seem to be looking forward. Instead, it turned, focused on speaking to the person beside her.

“I’m thinking—” Wen Qianshu raised her eyes and saw the side of Lou Jiu’s face. Wen Qianshu suddenly reached out, her hand hovering in mid-air, blocking the lower half of Lou Jiu’s face from her view, leaving only her eyes visible. Wen Qianshu watched for a moment, then suddenly withdrew her hand: “It’s nothing.”

2333: “Huh?”

There were still quite a few zombies wandering outside.

Jiang Yin’s death didn’t mean it was all over. The entire search team was dispatched, investigating and screening everywhere. Everyone was so busy they barely touched the ground, able to fall asleep just by leaning against a wall.

Wen Qianshu finally started complaining to 2333 again: “You guys are too much. I’ve never seen a company that works 007.”

007—start work at midnight, get off at midnight, seven days a week. Wen Qianshu deeply felt that all transmigration novels, system novels, and world line repair novels violated labor laws.

2333: “?”

“Why are you blaming me? Blame the search team—also, you’re not an official member, are you? What are you doing tagging along?”

Wen Qianshu: “Blame the search team? Then what about Yan Chengshuang—”

She grabbed a stick, pinned a few zombies, and turned sideways to let the person behind her open fire: “I’m indeed not an official member, but aren’t I following Jiang Yao to prevent her from getting into trouble again?”

2333: “And where is Jiang Yao?”

Wen Qianshu: “Aren’t I—”

She looked back, only to see Lou Jiu injecting medicine into a few bitten residents. The other search team members were clearing zombies with her. Where was Jiang Yao’s figure to be seen?

Wen Qianshu knocked over a zombie with her stick and said with a straight face: “Aren’t I protecting her with my heart and following her with my spirit?”

2333: “…”

Wen Qianshu took a step back and asked Lou Jiu: “Where’s Captain Jiang?”

Lou Jiu was taking a patient’s temperature. After the rescue team arrived, she had changed into a new restraint device and put on goggles, returning to the appearance she had when Wen Qianshu first met her: “She was sent to the hospital. They have things to ask her.”

Wen Qianshu nodded, pointed at the air, and said to 2333 in all seriousness: “See, my spirit followed her.”

2333: “…”

I’d believe your nonsense.

2333 didn’t know if Wen Qianshu’s spirit had followed or not, but it knew exactly what was on Wen Qianshu’s mind. After all, in the last world, while this repairer was tormenting her disciple and praising all-nighters, her mind was preoccupied with only one thing—Yun Cai’s bed.

2333 held its head in despair.

Sure enough, once the zombies were cleared and everything temporarily settled, the moment Wen Qianshu entered Lou Jiu’s house, she removed both of their restraint devices and tilted her head up to kiss Lou Jiu.

Holding that position, Lou Jiu took off her goggles, tossed them to the floor, and lifted Wen Qianshu up, pinning her against the wall. They first shared two gentle kisses, then Wen Qianshu let out a soft laugh, hooked her arm around Lou Jiu’s neck, and began to suckle, forcefully prying open Lou Jiu’s teeth and invading. Lou Jiu’s breath hitched, then quickened, as she reached to undo her own anti-bite strap.

She fumbled with it, even resorting to yanking it.

Lips and teeth clashed, breaths mingled, skin touched skin, and a burgeoning heat spread from their chests. Wen Qianshu’s shirt was pulled up, and just as she felt a hint of coolness, she was pressed down and caressed by the other’s palm.

“You’re back? Jiu—”

Their lips immediately parted. They looked up together and saw Zhou Qiming standing at the doorway, dumbfounded.

Wen Qianshu: “…”

Oh, right. They hadn’t smelled alcohol when they came in today.

Wen Qianshu pulled down her shirt, panting. Still pressed against the wall by Lou Jiu, her arms couldn’t retract, so she had to keep them raised around her neck. Lou Jiu: “Yeah, I’m back.”

She pointed at Wen Qianshu and said: “My girlfriend.”

2333: “?”

Zhou Qiming: “?”

Wen Qianshu was also startled and said hesitantly: “Hello, Uncle—ah!”

Lou Jiu swept her up into her arms and offered a token “good night”.

The door clicked shut, blocking Zhou Qiming’s view.

Lou Jiu wanted to toss Wen Qianshu onto the bed, but Wen Qianshu deftly flipped down and hooked her arm around her: “Is this okay?”

Lou Jiu didn’t resist, letting Wen Qianshu push her down to the floor.

She looked up at Wen Qianshu, her hair spread out, the anti-bite strap on her hand half-removed, revealing her long, slender fingers.

Lou Jiu raised her hand, the pads of her fingers stroking Wen Qianshu’s cheek: “It’s fine—give yourself to me, okay?”

Wen Qianshu lowered her head, feeling Lou Jiu’s hand slide from her cheek down her neck. She raised her own hand to grasp Lou Jiu’s, pressing her palm against the back of Lou Jiu’s hand, pinning it firmly to her shoulder blade: “Okay.”

She guided her hand downward, and further downward, brushing over the rising and falling peaks.

Her eyes were fixed on her.

Lou Jiu sat up, her waist and knees bracketing Wen Qianshu, unbuttoning her clothes while kissing her lips.

Clothes were torn off, the anti-bite strap fell to the floor coil by coil, and they embraced as they entered the bathroom. Neither was clear on what happened; it was as if in a daze, water began to fall.

The sound of water, gasps, low moans, and pleasure.

Lou Jiu kissed her earlobe, her fingers igniting every place they touched, burning the skin red. Wen Qianshu looked at the mirror. With both hands braced on either side of the sink, she suddenly reached out and wiped away the steam. That streak of brightness spied the crimson corner of her eye, spied Lou Jiu’s eyes as they opened and looked toward the mirror.

They met each other’s gaze in the mirror.

Lou Jiu’s touch traced along Wen Qianshu’s cheek and the side of her neck as she suddenly said: “Don’t do such dangerous things again.”

Wen Qianshu: “Hmm?”

Lou Jiu’s fingers pressed harder. Wen Qianshu gasped and heard her voice soften as she repeated in a whisper: “Don’t do such dangerous things again—I’ll be scared.”

That moment on the rooftop, when she turned back and saw more than half of Wen Qianshu’s body leaning out, her heart nearly stopped.

She thought she had to keep her, to keep her by any means necessary.

With words, with kisses, with embraces, with—

She had to keep her. She had to trap this gust of wind.

Lou Jiu buried her head in Wen Qianshu’s neck, closing and then opening her eyes. Her long lashes brushed against the skin, tickling slightly. It was a rare, somewhat vulnerable expression from Lou Jiu: “Don’t leave me.”

Wen Qianshu turned her head, gently nuzzling her chin, looking into her pupils—light-colored pupils that glinted gold in the light: “I won’t leave you—never.”

Lou Jiu: “You’re mine.”

Wen Qianshu: “Mm, I’m yours.”

Wen Qianshu kissed her lips: “You’re mine too, forever mine.”

Lou Jiu smiled. She was so beautiful when she smiled, and her voice was so pleasant.

The warm breath on her face was warm and comfortable.

Wen Qianshu thought, she really is like wine. Usually, she doesn’t say much, as if the jar is sealed. Now, with just one laugh, a crack opens, letting out a hint of fragrance, and Wen Qianshu is drunk.

She became dizzy and disoriented, losing track of time.

She must really be drunk.

So Wen Qianshu started to feel aggrieved again: “Do you know how hard I worked to seduce you?”

Lou Jiu was taken aback, seemingly recalling her usual antics, and suddenly laughed again. Her laughter made Wen Qianshu laugh along with her. But as they laughed, Wen Qianshu suddenly said: “I really love you so much.”

Lou Jiu was a little surprised, but she hugged Wen Qianshu: “I love you too.”

Wen Qianshu: “But you’ll forget me.”

Wen Qianshu added with a smile: “If you get old and senile in the future and forget me, I’ll have to find ways to get your attention and make you like me all over again.”

Lou Jiu thought Wen Qianshu was joking, but she played along: “You won’t have to. You just need to walk up to me and tell me you like me.”

“As for the rest—” Lou Jiu said, “wait for me to love you.”

Wen Qianshu closed her eyes and smiled. Afraid that tears would fall, she buried her head in Lou Jiu’s embrace and said: “Okay.”

Let’s be exiled in ten thousand glasses of sweet red wine, my dear. Accompany me through this dim apocalypse, through good and evil, sorrow and joy, through the endless long nights and days【1】.

This time, the base suffered heavy losses. Zhou Qiming returned to the research institute and also moved out of the house—he couldn’t accept that his daughter liked women, but Lou Jiu had never cared about his opinion. Their argument was fruitless, and they could only part on bad terms.

Gao Bai was injected with the medicine Jiang Yin mentioned and actually managed to recover his human form. He wept while embracing his parents and even picked up his little sister to give her a big kiss: “Silly sister.”

Gao Bai’s sister: “?”

She was immediately displeased, pushing his face away forcefully: “You stink!”

Gao Bai: “I’ll kiss you even if I stink, you little rascal. You don’t miss your brother at all—”

Jiang Yao chose to remain a zombie: “Anyway, Gao Bai has recovered too. No one can control me anymore.”

She said calmly yet fiercely: “I’m going to wipe out their nest.”

2333: “Wen Qianshu.”

Wen Qianshu was busy eating the apple her Sister Lou had cut for her, crunching away, and mumbled indistinctly: “What is it?”

2333: “You’re really a master at breaking up CPs.”

Wen Qianshu acknowledged it and replied: “Thank you.”

2333: “?”

2333: “I’m not complimenting you, hey!”

After Wen Qianshu graduated from the training camp, she was indeed sought after by various search teams. But without a second glance, she headed straight for Team 5.

Shang Ci contentedly accepted the jealousy of the other teams, strutting around proudly for days. In the cafeteria, he lamented to Gao Bai: “Kid, our team is finally not the Monk Team anymore.”

Gao Bai was busy eating braised pork, his mouth covered in grease. Hearing this, he looked up in surprise: “Why? Who got into a relationship?”

Shang Ci: “Doctor Lou, yup, with that little lunatic.”

Gao Bai: “Two of them at once? Amazing. Who are they with? People from our team?”

Shang Ci chewed on a cigarette: “Right, with people from our team. They’re the only two in our team who got into a relationship.”

Gao Bai bit his chopsticks: “What do you mean? With our team—just the two of them—”

Shang Ci looked at him with pity, watching as he pondered for a good while, his eyes gradually widening.

Shang Ci: “Right, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

Gao Bai choked, quickly drinking water to calm himself. Then he saw Lou Jiu carrying two trays, with Wen Qianshu’s arm slung over her shoulder, acting all improper. As they passed, the little lunatic turned her head and winked at him.

Gao Bai suddenly remembered what this “little white flower” had said in the car: “I like Lou Jiu the most.”

“Pfft—” Gao Bai sprayed out the water.

Shang Ci, sitting directly opposite him: “…”

“Gao Bai—” Shang Ci, expressionless, spat out the saliva-splattered cigarette from his mouth, wiped his face, and jumped up. “I’ll kill you!”

“You can’t, Captain—” Gao Bai said, “I just got out of the hospital!”

Shang Ci: “You just got out? Don’t think I didn’t see you sneakily eat my lion’s head meatball! You’re plenty agile!”

Gao Bai: “Have mercy, Captain!”

Shang Ci: “Put it down! I only have two lion’s head meatballs! Don’t move, put it down!”

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Author’s Notes:

【1】Let’s be exiled in ten thousand glasses of sweet red wine, my dear. Please accompany me in living a life we’ll never grow tired of. — Ma Liang, Confession.