Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
Because they were so close, Ye Jian could almost feel Shu Xun’s breath. As if by instinct, Ye Jian gradually leaned in, their breathing growing clearer, seemingly in sync with the rhythm of their hearts. Just as they were about to get even closer, a voice suddenly came from the bedroom door, instantly shattering the subtle, tender atmosphere.
Big Bliss flapped his wings, holding a long spoon in his hand. “Take a look yourselves, what time do you think it is? The food’s about to get cold, and now you’re just…” He paused mid-sentence as if finally seeing what was happening in the bedroom. With a whoosh, he flew to hover over their heads and swiftly swung the spoon, landing it squarely on Ye Jian’s head with a loud “thwack”. “What are you trying to do? Get up already!”
Ye Jian: “…”
This was the first time the esteemed general had ever been hit with a spoon, and in such circumstances, he couldn’t even retaliate. How could “frustration” fully describe what he was feeling? Ye Jian, expressionless, sat up as though waiting for Big Bliss to leave first. However, Big Bliss crossed his arms and hovered in the air with the spoon ready, stubbornly glaring at Ye Jian with an attitude of “If you don’t leave, I won’t either”.
Shu Xun sighed helplessly and sat up as well, his long hair falling evenly behind him, spreading across the bed. His eyes held a faint smile, still exuding a gentle demeanor, yet the tips of his ears were tinged with a subtle pink.
Ye Jian’s face remained emotionless, though his mind was racing. As the two exchanged glances, a streak of blue light suddenly flashed across the room and landed on Shu Xun’s lips. Both Big Bliss and Ye Jian turned to see Little Bliss perched at the corner of Shu Xun’s lips, its wings leisurely flapping and its antennae happily curled into a little ball.
Big Bliss immediately flared up. His spoon lashed out with such speed that it left only a blur in the air as it expertly scooped Little Bliss up. Just as Little Bliss was left dazed and spinning, Big Bliss flapped his wings and flew toward the kitchen outside the bedroom, his voice full of anger. “Just wait, there’s another dish: boiled butterfly!” Before the words even fully left his mouth, Big Bliss had already disappeared into the kitchen with Little Bliss in the spoon.
Shu Xun: “…”
Ye Jian remained expressionless, his demeanor suggesting that what had just happened had nothing to do with him. And just as Shu Xun was still in a daze, Ye Jian quickly leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Shu Xun’s lips. It was brief but gentle, leaving a lingering warmth in his heart.
“Let’s go or Big Bliss might come back with a kitchen knife,” Ye Jian said with a smile.
Shu Xun finally snapped back to reality. Looking at Ye Jian’s serious expression, he chuckled helplessly. Don’t think he didn’t know why Little Bliss had suddenly charged in. Yet this heartless master simply allowed Little Bliss to be taken away with the spoon…
That breakfast was an anxious affair for everyone, as Big Bliss stood guard with a single chopstick in hand. Whenever someone tried to pick up food, he would smack it away, even Shu Xun wasn’t spared. Watching Big Bliss act like a concerned parent, Shu Xun glanced at the table full of delicious dishes, then lowered his head and silently ate his bowl of rice.
By the end of the meal, there was barely any rice left in the pot, while the colorful and fragrant dishes remained untouched.
Big Bliss stood on the table with his arms crossed, his expression serious. “Are you all done eating?”
Ye Jian kept a straight face. Little Bliss shook its head but froze under Big Bliss’s icy gaze, then quickly started nodding furiously. Shu Xun tugged at his hair. “The rice was pretty good.”
Big Bliss continued speaking seriously. “If you don’t want to eat rice for every meal from now on, do you know what to do?”
Ye Jian maintained his expressionless face. Little Bliss paused mid-nod, glanced around, and its antennae started to tangle. Shu Xun said, “Oh, actually, I can cook myself.”
Big Bliss squinted his eyes. “Are you sure about that?”
Shu Xun -_-|||: “Forget it, you better keep cooking.”
Ye Jian: “…”
And so, the great Ye Jian left for work in a complicated mood. For the rest of the day, in the chatroom, the gray-haired wolf’s external expressions alternated between rolling around leisurely and scratching himself in distress. The most frustrating part was that Ye Jian had crafted the expression effects incredibly well. Whenever the little gray wolf scratched, a “krrr krrr” sound would play, accompanied by realistic claw marks appearing on the light screen.
Lie Yang, who logged in a bit later than usual, stared at the claw marks on the screen and instinctively reached out to touch the seemingly cracked light screen. “What’s wrong with this guy today? Is he glitching? Expression bug?”
Meng Muyu chimed in, “Maybe it’s that time of the month when wolves go a bit crazy.”
Lie Yang: “Is that a thing? Good thing I’m not part of the wolf clan. Poor Ye Jian, that’s tough.” After saying that, he sent a head-patting emoji. But the moment his hand reached out, the gray wolf bit down on it and started shaking it wildly.
Lie Yang: “…” Yep, it’s gone mad.
Gray, seeing this, picked up a mouse toy and placed it in front of the gray wolf. Instantly, the gray wolf sat obediently, looking completely normal.
Meng Muyu: “You alright, Lie Yang? Forgot to mention, when this one goes mad, don’t touch it. Just give it a mouse toy and it’ll calm down.”
Lie Yang: “Does the StarPlay family have a few days every month where they all become forgetful and slow?”
Meng Muyu: “Yeah! At least we’re not like you, forgetful and slow every day. A few days a month is more than enough.”
Lie Yang, getting roasted again: “…”
The conversation kept updating, with everyone saying whatever came to mind. Eventually, the topic shifted to going on a trip. Ever since returning from “Deep Blue Sea”, the group had been considering taking a few days off in the real world to relax together. However, the specific time and details of the trip had yet to be confirmed.
Gray: “I know of a place, a rather remote galaxy. It’s pretty unique, though. Unlike “Deep Blue Sea”, this planet has extremely low gravity, which is why it’s called the Celestial Feather Galaxy.”
Shu Xun: “Low gravity? That sounds interesting.”
Meng Muyu: “Send the coordinates. Let’s check if any special entry permits are needed.”
Gray sent the coordinates. After searching, they found it was indeed a remote galaxy, and an ancient one at that. It wasn’t rich in valuable resources, so it didn’t draw much attention from outsiders. Due to its low gravity, it had been developed into a tourist destination, promoting primitive, natural landscapes with a bit of an adventure and survival element. Of course, the danger level was very low.
Gray: “I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. With such low gravity, even the slightest effort lets you feel like you’re flying, so it’s a popular tourist spot. Also, from what I know, this place used to belong to the Phantom Clan. After some changes, it was turned into a public space. We can relax there, and who knows, maybe we’ll uncover some clues.”
Meng Muyu: “I found something. Seven hundred and seventy-three years ago, the Phantom Clan suddenly announced they were giving up ownership of the Celestial Feather Galaxy and it became public domain. A hundred years later, various races developed it into a tourist destination.”
Shu Xun: “Can you find out why the Phantom Clan gave up the galaxy?”
After a moment, Meng Muyu’s message came through. “The official explanation from the Phantom Clan was that they were relocating their homeland and the Celestial Feather Galaxy didn’t meet the conditions for their new settlement. So, they traded it for ownership of another galaxy.”
Lie Yang: “Which galaxy did they trade for?”
Meng Muyu: “A medium-sized galaxy, pretty ordinary. It has fewer habitable planets than the Celestial Feather Galaxy, and no precious resources either.”
Lie Yang: “Seems like nothing’s wrong.”
Meng Muyu: “Yeah, perfectly natural.”
Given the ever-changing nature of the universe, it wasn’t uncommon for various races to migrate. After all, planets have limited lifespans, so in such cases, most races would choose to give up their current galaxy’s ownership and relocate to another habitable galaxy.
Gray: “No need to overthink it. If there’s something off, we’ll find out once we get to the Celestial Feather Galaxy. If not, we can just relax and enjoy ourselves.”
Lie Yang: “Makes sense. How about we meet at the space transfer station in the Celestial Feather Galaxy in two days?”
Meng Muyu: “Two days is perfect. It’s settled then.”
Shu Xun: “No problem. Ye Jian and I will go together.”
Lie Yang: “If you don’t come, Ye Jian won’t either. Otherwise, if he goes crazy, who’s going to control him? What if he bites me?”
On the screen, the little gray wolf stuck out its tongue in disdain. Ye Jian: “Heh.”
Lie Yang’s antennae immediately perked up. “What do you mean by that?”
Gray: “Your Majesty, what Ye Jian probably meant is that you taste terrible, so he wouldn’t bite you. You’re safe.”
Lie Yang: “…” Is this how the Zerg Clan comforts people?
By early evening, Ye Jian had returned. Shu Xun had already logged out of the chatroom and was in the kitchen with Big Bliss, preparing dinner. Ye Jian seemed to be in an unusually good mood, doing something in the living room alone. Shu Xun heard faint noises from the living room and turned to look. He saw Little Bliss struggling to push a small hanging chair on the coffee table and the chair was nearly teetering off the edge.
Confused, Shu Xun walked over. Little Bliss, seeing this, immediately stopped and pretended like nothing had happened. Shu Xun then turned to Ye Jian, who expressionlessly pointed toward the window. There, a large hanging chair, big enough for two adults, sat. “We have a big one over there. You can put the small one away.”
Little Bliss nodded seriously and then suddenly slapped its head with its antennae, remembering the little backpack on its back. With a flash, the small hanging chair disappeared from the coffee table, stored in Little Bliss’s space.
Shu Xun was speechless. Before he could say anything, Big Bliss had already landed next to Little Bliss and smacked its head. Under Big Bliss’s “gentle persuasion”, the small hanging chair was returned to the coffee table, but now there was also a large double hanging chair by the window.
After dinner, as the sun had yet to fully set, the last bits of golden-red light draped over the earth like a thin veil, casting warm hues across the room. On the coffee table, Big Bliss sat cross-legged, learning to use the light brain, while Little Bliss perched on the back of the hanging chair, its antennae curled up as it watched intently. By the window, Shu Xun lazily sat cross-legged on the large hanging chair, researching information about the Celestial Feather Galaxy. Ye Jian, legs stretched out, sat casually beside Shu Xun, his long arm draped over the back of the chair, just enough to envelop Shu Xun in his space. His gaze was also focused on the content displayed on Shu Xun’s light brain.
The golden sunset cast long shadows of the two onto the ground, stretching to the coffee table. The scene between the window-side hanging chair and the coffee table chair was strikingly similar and harmonious. The room was peaceful, bathed in warm light, exuding a sense of tranquility and coziness. A day of simplicity, a day of serenity, a day of quiet contentment.
Author’s note:
Now that there’s been a kiss, can hugs and lifts be far behind~~?
When I get my own little nest, I’m definitely buying a hanging chair and curling up in it to write~~ Such bliss~~
Smack!
Okay okay! I’m awake, I’m awake. One step at a time, first buy a ride, then a little home, then a hanging chair, then a cat bed, then a cat, then a kitten, then a tiny kitten, and a tinier kitten… And by then, I’ll be old~~ Perfect~~
(⊙o⊙) Oh, I need to get a driver’s license first〒▽〒
