⌈Weekend update: 0/2⌋
Ji Yu didn’t expect to have to do something big right after waking up. He and Xi Nan looked puzzled, “What escape? What are we running from?”
“I was just kidding.”
Li ZouXing chuckled, “We’ll arrive at Ma Wei Star at two in the afternoon. Since we still have some time, let’s go grab a meal.”
“You’re feeling better?” Ji Yu looked at him in astonishment.
“…,” Li ZouXing replied, “Xing Xing is starving.”
They went to the restaurant, and everything was the same as yesterday. If Li ZouXing hadn’t noticed the traces of blood hidden in the corners of the spaceship, he might have believed in this surface calm.
But for now, it was best to maintain this calm. They posed no threat to Tiran, and Tiran was happy to play the role of a good person. Moreover, he couldn’t be sure that those bloodstains could prove Tiran was a butcher.
After they finished their meal, they bid farewell to Jin Di. Jin Di felt quite reluctant about this short journey coming to an end, “Are you really going down to Ma Wei Star?”
“Yes,” Ji Yu smiled sincerely, “Thank you for saving my life.”
“Hahaha, don’t mention it,” Jin Di chuckled, “Back when our spaceship mysteriously crashed on White Star Sea, it startled us too.”
At this moment, he glanced thoughtfully at Li ZouXing and suddenly asked, “Did you pull our spaceship down?”
Li ZouXing looked puzzled.
Jin Di laughed and shook his head, “Never mind. Since you’re leaving, please let me give you something to remember our brief journey.”
The next two hours passed quickly. When the spaceship finally docked at Ma Wei Star, Li ZouXing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They hugged Jin Di, the handsome uncle with a beard, with a relaxed and pleasant smile. “I hope we can meet again.”
Li ZouXing smiled, “We will.”
After some surface banter, they finally set foot on the land of Ma Wei Star.
Among the various spacecraft bustling around, Li ZouXing concealed his smile.
Ji Yu and Xi Nan, who were behind him, didn’t see his expression. They were still waving at the spaceship. When they were far away, Ji Yu sighed, “We’re really lucky to have met such a captain.”
…
After pinpointing their location, Ling Nian’s group rushed in their direction, covered in dust and dirt.
What Ling Nian and Si Wo Lin had to pay attention to was that Gu WenCheng seemed a bit off.
No, not just a bit – it was very, very strange.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ling Nian asked directly, “You’re not acting normal.”
Si wo Lin conveyed a silent question with his eyes.
Gu WenCheng froze for a moment, “Is there something? I’m perfectly fine.”
“There is,” Ling Nian and Si Wo Lin both nodded in confirmation.
“Probably just didn’t sleep well,” Gu WenCheng coughed a few times, “Ji Yu was injured, wasn’t he? It’s worrying not to have seen it with my own eyes.”
“I’m worried too,” Si Wo Lin lowered his gaze, “I hope this doesn’t cause him psychological harm.”
As they were about to reach the location, Li ZouXing initiated communication with Ling Nian. When his face appeared on the screen, Gu WenCheng unconsciously took a step back and hid behind his teammates.
Li ZouXing said, “Guys, we’re having a meal in a nearby specialty restaurant, waiting for you to arrive.”
“Right now?” Ling Nian squinted at him, “Have you recovered?”
Li ZouXing smiled lightly, “Yes, I have.”
!
This unexpected news turned them into a field of landmines. Ling Nian’s lips curved into a smile first, and he and Si Wo Lin congratulated him, “Congratulations.”
After recovery, his mental power must have greatly increased.
Li ZouXing accepted their congratulations, and looked around, as if just noticing, “Where’s Cheng?”
Gu WenCheng couldn’t conceal his shock. He took a step forward, gazing fixedly at Li ZouXing on the screen.
Li ZouXing’s smile remained unchanged, his gaze natural. There wasn’t even a hint of shyness, not to mention any awkwardness!
“Cheng, it feels like we haven’t seen each other in a long time,” the boy who had playfully acted cute last night was now smiling earnestly, “Shall we have a meal together?”
“…” Gu WenCheng hesitated for a moment, then replied, “Sure.”
“There are many beautiful girls here,” Li ZouXing winked at them, “They’re all very friendly and adorable.”
It was a mischievous grin exchanged between the boys who understood each other well.
Ling Nian and Si Wo Lin relaxed and smiled, “Then we better hurry over.”
Li ZouXing showed no sign of embarrassment.
He even seemed to have forgotten everything that happened before.
Before seeing him, Gu WenCheng had imagined countless scenarios for their meeting – either pretending nothing happened or avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment.
He had even thought about how Li ZouXing would react after his recovery – he would surely be more embarrassed than him, maybe even unable to look up, blushing and avoiding his gaze.
But none of the imagined scenarios were like this.
This left Gu WenCheng feeling a vague sense of annoyance that he couldn’t quite understand – why was Li ZouXing acting like he knew nothing and just having fun?
Why was he the only one feeling troubled and restless after last night’s communication?
Gu WenCheng’s expression changed back and forth, and he even forgot about his earlier decision to keep that memory sealed. His tone turned irritated, “Didn’t you say you’re not interested in girls?”
“When did I say that?” Li ZouXing looked surprised, then grinned, embracing the role of a charming fool, “Of course, I’m interested in girls… Ahem, I mean, I’m shy.”
Si Wo Lin couldn’t help but hold back a laugh, amused by the expression Li ZouXing was making.
“Fuck, what bullshit embarrassment!”
Gu WenCheng sneered, “Why weren’t you embarrassed when you said those things to me?!”
No, he was indeed embarrassed. He stared at him, embarrassed, yet his burning gaze from last night’s fiery starry sky had completely changed.
Li ZouXing saw Ling Nian and Si Wo Lin just as he saw him.
It was as if everything he experienced last night had turned to ashes.
The fiery look in Gu WenCheng’s eyes, as he stared at the screen, ignited his own anger. The thoughts of avoidance turned into anger instead. Furious, he said, “Fine, wait for us to arrive.”
He cut off the communication directly and turned around, only to find Ling Nian giving him an expressionless, probing gaze.
Gu WenCheng, however, didn’t catch on, “Let’s go.”
“Go find that damn coward who acted all shy around girls,” he snickered.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Li ZouXing, Xi Nan, and Ji Yu had already been invited onto the dance floor.
The restaurant did indeed have many cute and lovely girls, just as they had described. The ladies of Ma Wei Star were confident and vibrant. Any guests dining here would be genuinely and energetically invited to dance by them, and the three of them were no exception.
Gu WenCheng and his group, disheveled and dusty, saw Li ZouXing and Ji Yu dancing with girls on their waists to the rhythm of the music.
The staff approached them, intending to show them the way, but Gu WenCheng suddenly chuckled.
He declined the staff’s assistance and walked leisurely toward the dance floor.
With his long legs straight and a touch of elegance in his eyes, a mix of youth and maturity, Gu WenCheng casually extended his hand to a lady in a long dress beside him, “May I have the pleasure of a dance with you?”
The lady smiled, “Of course.”
The sound of boots tapping on the floor echoed with a strong rhythm. Gu WenCheng held the lady, drawing her closer with every step toward the center of the dance floor.
Ji Yu was the first to notice him. With surprise, he exclaimed, “Cheng, you guys are here!”
Gu WenCheng nodded with a smile.
The lady beside him moved in sync with the music, her soft body emitting a delicate fragrance.
The moment Li ZouXing looked over, Gu WenCheng’s right hand was around his dance partner’s waist, and he flashed a meaningless smile, “How about a comparison?”
Li ZouXing raised an eyebrow and couldn’t hold back his laughter, “So, this is how you congratulate a teammate on their recovery?”
A teammate, Gu WenCheng sneered. What an earnest teammate.
The music suddenly intensified, and the two ladies spun away like flowers, only to come back to the embrace of their partners.
With fervor and passion, the skirt fluttered gracefully. Gu WenCheng supported his dance partner’s back, guiding her into a beautiful arc with his arm.
Their lips drew closer amidst the chaotic enchantment, but Li ZouXing managed to turn his face in time. The lady’s red lips left an imprint on his pristine white collar.
A fresh, just-kissed mark.
Suddenly, Gu WenCheng, who was watching nearby, didn’t feel like continuing the dance.
He released his dance partner and apologized with a rueful smile, “I’m sorry.”
He knew he was wrong now.
The malicious thoughts brewing in his mind tried to infect his rationality.
The lip print on Li ZouXing’s chin seemed glaring to him.
Yesterday, he was merely the innocent kid looking at him, and today, he was intimately dancing with another woman.
Li ZouXing had deceived him.
And he was tormented by it.
Why was it that after saying those things to him, this person could just forget about everything and leave him alone with the shameful and awkward memory?
To be fair, it shouldn’t be just him feeling off.
The dark emotions could easily consume him if he wasn’t careful.
“Darling,” the lady caressed his face, her fair hand delicate and well-cared-for, “This place is too crowded. I wonder if you’d like to join me for a dance in a quieter spot?”
She drew closer, her breath sweet as a flower.
Gu WenCheng placed a hand at the back of her head, leaning in towards her lips, but even with a distance of over a dozen centimeters, he found it tasteless.
The woman’s lips were painted a deep red, but he felt nothing, didn’t like it, and didn’t want to get any closer.
“Sorry,” he said again, taking two steps back, just to be by Li ZouXing’s side.
Li ZouXing’s collar was slightly open, and he was smiling slightly in Gu WenCheng’s direction.
Whether he was acting foolish or had returned to his normal self, his smile always managed to lift others’ moods.
Gu WenCheng unconsciously recalled the memories from last night and averted his gaze irritably.
Damn it, fuck!
“Let’s go,” Li ZouXing bid farewell to his dance partner, leading him toward their table, “Shh, the lady you danced with is still watching you.”
“Oh,” Gu WenCheng found it annoying to be watched intimately by someone else, and when Li ZouXing started walking and talking with him, he felt even more irritated, “Why do I care what she does?”
“What’s wrong with you?” Li ZouXing leaned in close, whispering in his ear, “You’re not yourself.”
See, the whole world thinks he’s off.
– Is he really off?
Gu WenCheng suddenly halted his steps.
Li ZouXing turned his head to look at him, puzzled.
“Yesterday,” Gu WenCheng heard his own voice, “Last night…”
He had actually brought it up willingly.
“What happened last night?”
Li ZouXing frowned, reaching up to touch his forehead, “Are you feeling sick?”
Gu WenCheng lowered his gaze, then lifted his eyes to look at his hand.
From his hand forward, he noticed the red lip print on Li ZouXing’s collar.
“Is she sweet-talking?” he chuckled, “Or do you like tasting her tongue?”
Li ZouXing asked, “What?”
“Never mind, nothing,” Gu WenCheng leisurely brushed Li ZouXing’s hand away, taking the lead to walk towards their table, “Let’s go, I happen to be hungry too.”
Author’s Note:
Gu WenCheng: Annoyed, annoyed, annoyed!
