TL: Hua
Chapter 57
A bunk bed’s iron single mattress was only so large; one person couldn’t necessarily stretch out fully, let alone two people squeezed together. In such a cramped space, the slightest movement was restrictive, and any bodily change was impossible to hide.
The heat pressing against his thigh through a thin layer of clothing couldn’t be faked, yet Ji Xuan’s tone carried no anger; it sounded more like the morning whispers of a lover.
“So what?” Pei Yingye said with a defiant attitude, “You know perfectly well that I have desires for you.”
Ji Xuan pursed his lips, looking at him with a faint smile, but did not speak.
His attitude gave Pei Yingye the illusion of being indulged, so instead of loosening the arm restraining him, he pressed the man even closer to himself.
The last bit of distance was completely eliminated as their burning bodies pressed together seamlessly. Ji Xuan let out a muffled hum, then applied force with his palm, pushing Pei Yingye’s head back and away.
Pei Yingye’s gaze peered through the gaps in Ji Xuan’s fingers, locking tightly onto his face. Perhaps it was because he slept too warmly last night, or perhaps for some other reason, but a touch of color finally appeared on his fair skin, and his peach blossom eyes were tinged with a shimmering light in the morning sunlight.
Alpha pheromones were scurrying everywhere; Ji Xuan wrinkled his nose but didn’t resist.
Before Pei Yingye could push his luck further, Ji Xuan suddenly raised his knee and pressed it upward, grinding it with moderate pressure across the other’s leg.
“—!”
“So, what if I know?” Ji Xuan whispered into his ear. “You want me to help you?”
The knee pressed again, and Pei Yingye gave a muffled groan, reaching down to catch his leg.
Ji Xuan had no intention of going further. He broke free from the restraint, unhurriedly moved his knee away, and even gave the other’s calf a parting kick.
“That’s enough trouble,” he said slowly and softly. “Solve the rest yourself.”
Pei Yingye stiffened, then successively pressed his nose and lips against Ji Xuan’s palm: “So heartless?”
Ji Xuan closed his hand, pinching the bridge of Pei Yingye’s nose with his thumb and forefinger; Pei Yingye cooperatively held his breath. But soon, Ji Xuan’s hand withdrew again, patting the man’s feigned aggrieved face and saying fluently, “Yes. I was pinned down by you all night, and my whole body is uncomfortable. Get up quickly.”
Pei Yingye sometimes couldn’t tell if the things he said were meant to be a rejection or an encouragement to continue the chaos.
But after a few seconds of standoff, he finally admitted defeat, sluggishly moving away from Ji Xuan.
The hair sliding over his arm had almost the exact same tactile sensation as in the dream. The bed frame creaked under the weight of Pei Yingye’s movements as he got up.
Ji Xuan leaned against the wall, making no effort to tidy his collar, which had been crumpled out of shape the night before. The bite marks on his collarbone were brazenly exposed to the cool air of the room, making Pei Yingye even more distracted.
Just as several wicked thoughts arose, he saw Ji Xuan’s gaze sweep across his lower abdomen: “Not going yet? When you’re finished washing, I need the bathroom too.”
The two had collapsed straight onto the bed when they returned last night, still wearing yesterday’s clothes, smelling of mixed alcohol. Although Ji Xuan rarely showed it, his love for cleanliness bordered on a phobia. To keep him from being uncomfortable for too long, Pei Yingye could only enter the bathroom reluctantly.
By the time they both finished washing up, the sun was already high in the sky. Chen Shuo, having slept in late after his hangover, had frantically sent them messages.
Transferring posts and completing field training required a series of procedures. The three had casually agreed at the dinner table last night to handle them together today. However, a certain someone’s night had been far too flavorful and bizarre, causing him to throw the matter to the back of his mind. If not for Chen Shuo’s reminder, he might not have remembered until after lunch.
Before heading out, Ji Xuan stood before the mirror and hesitated for a moment before changing his clothes, buttoning his collar to the very top. The marks from last night were thus strictly hidden away, and the only exposed red marks were blocked by his hair.
Fortunately, the procedures weren’t overly complicated and didn’t require visiting too many departments. The officer in charge of auditing at the Military Affairs Department was the same one they had seen at the fortress spaceport; a flash of obvious embarrassment crossed his face when he saw the two knock and enter.
Pei Yingye handed over his materials without any concern. Soon, a notification of his rating assessment from the field training system popped up on his terminal.
Unsurprisingly, both of their ratings were at the maximum. In the reason column was noted: Second-class Merit.
Since the news of the Zerg’s appearance could not be made public yet, they were nominally only credited for cooperating in a mission and capturing a target. However, in the Alliance’s internal system with a higher security clearance, a more detailed account would be recorded.
Pei Yingye confirmed the rating assessment and rapidly tapped out a sentence in the mutual evaluation column.
Chen Shuo leaned over curiously to take a look and asked in confusion, “‘From the Logistics Department to Second-class Merit, I only did two things’… which two things?”
The next second, he regretted his redundant question.
Pei Yingye clicked send, not even looking up as he said nonchalantly, “One, follow my teammate to Logistics.”
The officer across from him looked uncomfortable.
“Two, follow my teammate to a fight.”
The officer’s face turned the color of wilted greens.
Chen Shuo, who had just completed his transfer procedures, suddenly felt that his future career might be somewhat precarious.
After all, most people in the fortress now knew the reason why Pei Yingye and Ji Xuan were initially assigned to the Logistics Department; even if they didn’t know the exact details, they could guess about eighty or ninety percent of it. For two students who were initially disregarded to end up personally capturing a smuggling kingpin in coordination with the First and Seventh Guards, how could that not be seen as a slap in the face to the people who assigned them those positions?
Not to mention they were drinking and eating at the same table as the Seventh Guard members yesterday. Anyone with eyes could see that Aslan, and even Ying Xun, held the two in high regard.
Chen Shuo rubbed his nose and had no choice but to ignore the officer’s reaction, pretending nothing had happened as he asked Ji Xuan what evaluation he had written.
Ji Xuan showed him his terminal: [The cafeteria is good, the mechas are good, and the commander is also good.]
Chen Shuo breathed a sigh of relief, clearly not realizing that Ji Xuan’s evaluation also contained a hint of sarcasm.
The procedures were quickly completed. When stamping the documents, the officer banged the stamp down with a loud “thwack,” leaving a very deep indentation on the returned materials. It was obvious he had used a great deal of force. Pei Yingye arched an eyebrow but said nothing, putting his arm around Ji Xuan as they walked out.
However, the officer seemed to have finally made a certain resolution and suddenly spoke: “Trainees, please wait.”
Chen Shuo’s heart skipped a beat, thinking something was wrong. Could it be that the officer was so angered by Pei Yingye’s evaluation that he was going to look for trouble?
“May I ask what else is the matter, Officer?”
The officer didn’t look at Pei Yingye, who had spoken. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Ji Xuan. That face, which had maintained a rigid, robotic expression throughout their arrival at the fortress, now held an unreadable look. He took two steps forward and stood directly in front of Ji Xuan.
“Trainee Ji Xuan.” His tone was still stiff and formal. “Regarding the field training assignment this time, on behalf of the Military Affairs Department and myself, I would like to sincerely apologize to you for any preconceived notions I may have had at the time.”
Pei Yingye arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he watched the scene.
Ji Xuan’s face remained as calm as ever. From the moment they had walked in, the officer had looked like he was sitting on needles. Ji Xuan had initially assumed that Pei Yingye’s earlier joke had come true, so he hadn’t taken it to heart. He hadn’t expected the man to hold his breath for so long just to say this.
He had likely been scolded by Ying Xun, or perhaps there was another reason. Regardless of whether this apology was sincere or just a formality, Ji Xuan didn’t particularly care.
So, he simply said flatly, “I accept your apology.”
Then, he gave a slight nod and raised his hand to signal to Pei Yingye that they could leave.
Pei Yingye let himself be led out but didn’t forget to look back and add, “Officer, I suggest you upgrade your system’s evaluation metrics. It’s the New Star Calendar; let’s leave those outdated—mmph mph!”
“What are you pulling me for?”
Ji Xuan glanced at the miserable little Chen Shuo beside them and whispered into Pei Yingye’s ear, “He already feels like his future is pitch black. Just let him go.”
Hearing this, Pei Yingye patted Chen Shuo on the shoulder: “Don’t be afraid, friend. You have to believe that most people in the fortress are tolerant and open-minded. There’s no way they’d give you a hard time just because they see you as my accomplice.”
Chen Shuo: “…” Thanks, he felt slightly comforted.
As the three walked out of the administration building, Pei Yingye took out his terminal to research starship flights back to the capital planet.
“F-series are usually older models; they’re a bit run-down and aren’t as comfortable. C and D series are newer but more expensive, and some take detours for transfers. B-series has the best cost-performance ratio… It’s just that due to the current situation at the fortress, many have suspended operations. I’m afraid that even if you buy a ticket, it might be canceled at any moment,” Chen Shuo analyzed for Pei Yingye based on his limited travel experience.
The atmosphere at North Star Fortress had indeed become much grimmer than when they first arrived. Aside from the fact that Ying Xun was finally back in command, which forced every department to be on high alert to avoid being singled out for criticism, a large part of it was due to that escaped silver-haired Zerg.
During dinner last night, the Seventh Guard members had lamented more than once that their training volume had increased sharply. Although Aslan hadn’t said it outright, Pei Yingye could guess that it was because Ying Xun was worried the Zerg would make a major move.
Despite his inner thoughts, his voice remained light: “How about we take a D-series ship? This flight seems to pass through Planet Aquamarine. The natural seas there are much more beautiful than the artificial ones in Belheim. Why don’t we go see the ocean during the transfer?”
Ji Xuan tilted his head, about to ask why he suddenly had the urge to see the ocean, but his peripheral vision caught Ji Jingche standing outside the administration building.
Ji Jingche had been sent out by Ying Xun to track the silver-haired Zerg and hadn’t returned to North Star Fortress recently. Ji Xuan didn’t know why he happened to be here today. Or was it that he had found news of the Zerg and came back specifically to report?
Chen Shuo was the first to greet him, so the two couldn’t pretend they hadn’t seen him. Pei Yingye put down his terminal and was about to call out casually when he heard Ji Jingche speak first—
“Ji Xuan.”
“I heard you’re heading back. I came to see you off.”
Ji Xuan’s face remained expressionless.
Pei Yingye’s gaze swept over Ji Xuan’s face before landing on Ji Jingche. He naturally knew the rumors circulating on the capital planet; even if he hadn’t heard them before, he found out when he investigated Ji Xuan later.
He reached out and draped his arm over Ji Xuan’s shoulder in a posture that was extremely intimate yet possessive.
“Colonel Ji, our Ji Xuan isn’t a child anymore. It’s just a trip back to the capital planet. With me looking after him, you can rest easy, haha.”
As if he actually knows how to look after people.
That was, surprisingly, Ji Xuan’s first thought.
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