Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
Just like that, after being force-fed wave after wave of “dog food”1a slang term for witnessing others’ lovey-dovey behavior, everyone reached a consensus on the suspicion that there must be a connection between the invaders and the Phantom Clan. The next step was to gather more evidence, but this wouldn’t be easy. After several rounds of discussion, they decided to approach the problem from three angles.
The first was to gather clues about the invaders, which would be extremely difficult because, at the moment, they knew too little about them. The second approach was to start with the Phantom Clan, which, though challenging, at least had a concrete presence in the current era. The final approach was to focus on the worlds and races that had been invaded. The invaders’ ultimate goal was still unclear, but if they could identify commonalities among the dying worlds, they might stumble upon something unexpected.
In the chat room, everyone assigned their respective tasks and continued discussing some interesting current events. As for Ye Jian, living up to his reputation as a “Great God”, he quickly became highly skilled in creating emoticons. At least for that entire afternoon, a little gray-furred wolf kept hopping around on the screen. Whenever it was momentarily ignored, it would roll around to attract Shu Xun’s attention. Eventually, Shu Xun also began experimenting with emoticon creation, starting with simple ones like head pats, ear pinches, and fur smoothing. Before long, a fluffy blue-gray furball, resembling Shu Xun’s beast form, appeared on the light screen.
Lie Yang, Meng Muyu, and Gray had gone from initial shock to being accustomed to it. Now, they could calmly discuss the beautiful sights and delicious foods of various planets while watching the little gray-furred wolf get pulled down by a tiny mouse tugging at its whiskers on the screen.
Lie Yang: “My eyes feel a bit sore. Is this what they mean by ‘blindingly cute’?”
Meng Muyu: “You missed a word—‘dog.’”
Lie Yang: “Oh, my eyes feel a bit sore. Is this what they mean by ‘blindingly cute dog’?”
Gray sent a speechless emoticon. “My king, aren’t you afraid of starting a fight? General Ye Jian is a wolf.”
Lie Yang sent an emoticon of someone looking around. “Where’s the wolf? Where’s the wolf? Do you mean the one lying there wagging its tail on the screen?”
The little gray-furred wolf on the screen lifted its eyes, glanced at Lie Yang with what seemed like contempt, sharpened its claws, and then picked up the tiny mouse still struggling with its whiskers. It turned around and walked toward the top right corner of the screen. Moments later, the two small, fluffy figures shrank into distant silhouettes.
Having been scorned by an emoticon, Lie Yang’s antennae shot straight up. He decided he, too, would thoroughly study how to create chat emoticons.
They chatted away the entire afternoon, discussing everything under the sun. The relaxation after a period of tension was the most pleasant, and days like this were perfect for basking in the warm sun and lounging on the sofa, enjoying life at a leisurely pace. Through these conversations, they grew closer, forming an inexplicable bond of intimacy and warmth. By the end, they even made plans to go out together, setting the time and place. It wasn’t until dusk that everyone gradually left the chat room.
As Ye Jian returned to his residence bathed in the glow of the setting sun, he stepped into the room and immediately saw a fluffy little ball sprawled out on the coffee table like a pancake. The little creature’s tiny feet were even propped up on a small hanging chair. It seemed that this unexpectedly toppled position made Shu Xun feel particularly comfortable. Next to the fluffy ball, Big Bliss was resting its head on what appeared to be the soft belly of the furball, sleeping soundly.
A faint, helpless smile tugged at the corners of Ye Jian’s lips as he thought about how easy it was to take care of his beloved—just a coffee table would do. With his back to the setting sun, the living room was bathed in golden light, and his elongated shadow stretched across the coffee table. Suddenly, Ye Jian tilted his head and then raised his hand. The shadow of his hand gently brushed over the fluffy ball on the table, soft and silent.
Though the caress was silent, the sensitive little furball still noticed the sunlight being blocked. In its sleep, the furball instinctively chased after the light. Without even opening its eyes, the tiny feet kicked at the hanging chair, pushing it away as the little furball slid a small distance across the coffee table, just beyond the reach of Ye Jian’s hand shadow. Big Bliss, deprived of its pillow, didn’t open its eyes either but stretched out its short legs, found the furball by instinct, and scooted over to rest its head on it again.
Ye Jian stood there, speechless. Watching the oblivious Shu Xun on the coffee table, he moved his hand again, covering the furball once more. A few seconds later, the furball’s whiskers twitched before it, still with its eyes closed, kicked with its hind legs, sliding a small distance across the table again. Big Bliss followed right behind, repeating the same action to find its pillow.
Ye Jian couldn’t help but smile. If this continued, he had no doubt that Shu Xun, in his pancake-like state, would eventually wipe the entire coffee table clean. With two long strides, Ye Jian stepped over to the table, picked up the mouse pancake, and placed it in his hand. Then, seeing Big Bliss still trying to nuzzle its way back to its pillow, he casually scooped it up and placed it in the small hanging chair. Big Bliss snuggled into the soft little blanket in the chair and quickly fell asleep again.
Seeing this, Little Bliss fluttered its wings and gently landed on the small hanging chair, skillfully covering the sleeping figure inside with a blanket. Meanwhile, Ye Jian carried the mouse pancake back to the bedroom, placing the fluffy ball on the smooth, large bed. Staring at the unaware furball, Ye Jian stood at the bedside for a long while before reaching out to smooth its fur from head to tail. After finishing, Ye Jian noticed, speechless, that the already flat Shu Xun now appeared even thinner. He couldn’t help but wonder—could it be that mice are actually made of liquid?
The mouse pancake on the bed slept soundly. Ye Jian turned and headed to the bathroom. After a brief wash, he changed into loungewear and returned to the bedroom, only to find that the furball had vanished from the bed. His expression remained unchanged, but a slight sense of disappointment welled up inside him. He knew Shu Xun must have run back to the small hanging chair on the coffee table again. Ye Jian realized, with a sigh, that he was completely smitten.
Before leaving the bathroom, the usually composed General Ye Jian found himself feeling nervous again. The reason was the presence of Shu Xun on his bed, even in his small mouse-pancake form, which could still easily stir his emotions and inner feelings. Just knowing that the fluffy little ball was sleeping beside his pillow brought an inexplicable sense of peace and satisfaction.
As he gazed at the empty space beside his pillow, Ye Jian couldn’t quite determine whether he felt relieved or helplessly disappointed. He glanced at the small, neatly folded blanket next to his pillow that hadn’t been used in a long time, and let out a silent sigh. Then, he lifted the covers and lay down. Just as his head touched the pillow, he heard a faint squeak, as if something had been squished and was letting out a sigh of air.
Squished?!
Ye Jian instantly sprang up from the bed and looked down at the pillow. He saw it move slightly before a little mouse-pancake crawled out from underneath.
Ye Jian!!!
The fluffy little ball seemed to open its eyes for a moment, but it still didn’t look fully awake. It stretched out its tiny legs, turned in a circle on the bed, and then slid back to the side of the pillow. Lifting its small head, it settled down and closed its eyes again. Moments later, the little body began to rise and fall gently as soft snores filled the bedroom.
With a deadpan expression, Ye Jian was speechless.
Finally, General Ye Jian managed to compose himself after the shock. He glanced at the little ball on the pillow, making sure he wouldn’t squish it again before lying back down. Shu Xun’s position was right in the crook of Ye Jian’s neck, and as he lay down, it was a perfect fit, almost as if the little creature was standing upright from his perspective.
The bedroom lights gradually dimmed. Ye Jian could almost feel the warm heat emanating from the fluffy ball nestled in his neck. The little ball, sensing the warmth, snuggled closer, nuzzling its tiny head against Ye Jian’s neck. A short while later, it seemed that the pillow was too high for the furball, causing it to uncomfortably adjust its sleeping position by stepping on Ye Jian’s shoulder, flipping back and forth like a pancake. Its small head restlessly searched for a comfortable spot, and after much fidgeting, the furball finally settled on using Ye Jian’s outstretched hand as a pillow and quieted down.
At some point, Ye Jian, who had been lying stiffly like a corpse, finally relaxed his body. The softness in the crook of his neck now felt perfectly natural. As drowsiness overtook him, Ye Jian drifted off into sleep.
That night seemed particularly deep. When the morning light streamed into the bedroom the next day, Ye Jian inexplicably felt that he had shifted in his sleep. The pillow seemed insufficient, so he instinctively moved toward the center of it, only to encounter an obstruction.
Ye Jian opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a head of silky black hair, long and evenly spread across the bed. Following the hair downward, he saw a pale, jade-like neck, then slightly thin shoulders loosely covered by a blanket.
For a moment, Ye Jian’s usually expressionless face showed a slight crack as the boy in front of him turned over. Just as the inner turmoil was about to make him lose composure, the boy opened his eyes. Those eyes were as warm and gentle as ever, deep black with a hint of sleepiness and laziness. The boy looked at Ye Jian and finally smiled, his eyes curving into crescents as a gentle voice, as smooth as water, broke the silence. “Good morning, Mr. Ye Jian.”
For some reason, all the tension and discomfort melted away in the boy’s gentle smile. Ye Jian relaxed his body, still lying on his side, and responded in his slightly low and cool voice, “Good morning, Mr. Shu Xun.”
On the same pillow, their heads were very close together. Shu Xun nudged his head forward a bit, to prevent himself from falling off the pillow. Ye Jian instinctively did the same. Eventually, their foreheads met, and the warm body heat provided a reassuring comfort that passed between them.
The morning sunlight filled the room, as if even the light was reluctant to disturb this moment of peace and quiet. On the large bed in the bedroom, the two equally handsome men lay quietly with their foreheads touching, leaning against each other. The sunlight cast a warm glow on the sides of their faces, creating a silhouette. The passage of time felt serene and comfortable, all because waking up in the morning with you by my side made even an ordinary morning feel suffused with contentment.
Author’s Note:
After a busy day, there’s nothing more comfortable than lazing in bed~~ So, tomorrow Old Xuan will sleep in after an afternoon of driving practice~~
During the practice for the second driving test, I stalled the car four times on a hill before finally making it up.
Old Xuan: “…”
Coach: “…”
Luckily, the coach is super gentle and kept reassuring me that if I stall during practice, I won’t stall during the actual test.
I believe it! ↖(^ω^)↗ Keep practicing. I feel like if I fail the second test, I’ll be letting down my coach, the brakes, and that hill…
The odds of a clumsy snail passing the second test on the first try are ~~~~o(>_<)o ~~
Also, I’m changing the name “Gray” after finding out that Yan Hui was Confucius’s student. Alright, name changed. Don’t worry too much about it, everyone.
