Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Feng Chen's words, linking 'moments' twice, left Yan Bubu somewhat perplexed, yet he understood it was not a compliment.

"Alright, time for you to sleep too," Feng Chen said, looking at Binunu held in the black lion's mouth. He flicked Binunu's forehead, "Have you forgotten you're a top student in the guide class? Is a little noise worth your fuss? Don't demean yourself. Act only if someone screams for help, as befits a top student."

Binunu, initially baring its teeth, immediately shut its mouth upon hearing this, quietly allowing the black lion to carry it under the bed.

Feng Chen lay down again, looking at Yan Bubu still sitting dazedly: "Why are you still sitting? What time is it, aren't you going to sleep?"

"Oh..."

Yan Bubu lay down in confusion, starting to ponder quietly. He felt if it were any other time, Feng Chen would have rushed out by now. His reaction tonight was too abnormal, something must be off.

He replayed the events in his mind, suddenly struck by a realization.

This realization made his heart race and his face heat up. Sneaking a glance at Feng Chen, he caught him also turning to meet his gaze.

Yan Bubu licked his lips, hesitantly whispering, "Brother, that... that... was there really nothing going on, and they were just doing that...?"

Feng Chen looked at him with a deep gaze, "Which 'that'?"

"That thing," Yan Bubu moved closer, "The thing people do after kissing."

Feng Chen continued to ask, "What do people do after kissing?"

Yan Bubu hesitated, "It’s... somewhat indelicate to say."

"You know it’s indelicate to say?" Feng Chen chuckled.

Yan Bubu, who had been stealing glances at his expression, now feeling confident in his guess, leaned in and whispered, "Am I right? After they kissed, they were just—"

"Stop!" Feng Chen placed his hand on Yan Bubu's face, pushing him back a bit, "Is this what you call indelicate? Your tongue is too slippery. Don’t concern yourself with what others are doing. Just sleep."

Yan Bubu wanted to say more, but Feng Chen had already clicked off the light and pulled the blanket over himself. Reluctantly, Yan Bubu closed his mouth and lay down as well.

The dormitory area was now so quiet that not a sound could be heard. It seemed, as Feng Chen had said, that the sentinel guides who intended to have a 'good time' were discouraged by Yan Bubu and Binunu's interruption.

Yan Bubu, now not feeling sleepy at all, suddenly realized something.

When he lived alone with Feng Chen in the small building, he knew it was meant for bonded sentinel guides, but to him, it was just a concept.

But now, it was different. He clearly recognized that he and Feng Chen were living in a dormitory for bonded sentinel guides, surrounded by others who had formed such bonds.

What did this imply?

It implied that he and Feng Chen were about to bond, or close to it, and that they could also do other things like the noises they heard tonight – those moans and creaks...

He tried not to think about it, but once the thought entered his mind, it was like opening floodgates. He couldn't control the myriad of images flashing through his mind of him and Feng Chen.

Moans and groans...

Creaks and squeaks...

Moments later, Yan Bubu, with his face flushed, opened his eyes and stealthily glanced at Feng Chen.

Although the lights were off inside, the bright sodium lights from outside shone through the window, illuminating the room clearly. Feng Chen lay on his side, back to him. Yan Bubu could see every strand of Feng Chen's hair and the slow rise and fall of his breathing.

Yan Bubu's gaze wandered over Feng Chen's broad shoulders, gradually moving upwards, settling on the nape of his neck visible above the collar.

Yan Bubu's heartbeat quickened, his throat became dry, and the presence of Feng Chen's skin next to him felt increasingly intense. Though separated by fabric, he could vividly sense Feng Chen's muscular contours, firm and smooth, exuding an indescribable allure, drawing him irresistibly closer.

Yan Bubu pressed his entire body against Feng Chen's back, yet it still felt insufficient. Gazing at Feng Chen's neck, he propped himself up and leaned forward, gently pressing his lips there.

The moment his lips touched the smooth, warm skin, a shiver ran through him, and he sensed Feng Chen's body tremble slightly.

Yan Bubu's lips tenderly caressed the back of Feng Chen's neck, lingering... But as he began to gently nibble that patch of skin, Feng Chen suddenly turned around, grabbed his shoulders, and pressed him down onto the bed, pinning his hands beside his head.

Yan Bubu, caught off guard and pinned down, did not struggle. He lay there, slightly panting, gazing up at him.

The light from outside cast a cool, silvery-white sheen in the room, making Yan Bubu's skin appear almost translucently pale, while his slightly parted lips were a deep, inviting red.

Feng Chen looked down at him, expressionless, but his eyes were darker than ever, revealing a ferocity and possessiveness Yan Bubu had never seen before. His wrists were gripped tightly, painfully so, yet he refrained from making any sound.

The two maintained their positions, one lying down, the other looming over, in silent eye contact, with only their breathing audible in the room.

This version of Feng Chen felt both familiar and foreign to Yan Bubu, filling him with a mix of nervousness and anticipation, his palms sweating.

But then, Feng Chen released him, reaching out with his right hand to gently brush a stray lock of hair from Yan Bubu's forehead.

Feng Chen continued to gaze intently at Yan Bubu, his eyes still fierce, but his touch was surprisingly gentle, like handling a delicate dewdrop on a leaf, afraid that any more pressure would shatter it.

Yan Bubu rubbed his cheek affectionately against Feng Chen's finger, but Feng Chen suddenly withdrew his hand, curling his fingers slightly into his palm.

Then, he got out of bed and addressed Sasaki, who was lying in the hallway by the bed, "You sleep on the bed tonight, we'll switch places. I'll stay with Binunu."

Binunu, originally lying in a small bed under the main bed, kept scratching the black lion's mane with its paws. Hearing the words, it hugged the black lion's neck and buried its face in its mane, clearly showing non-cooperation.

Yan Bubu snapped back to reality, his mind's romantic fantasies vanishing. He quickly sat up, asking in astonishment, "Why do you want to switch places with Sasaki?"

Feng Chen didn't answer, nor did he look at him. Instead, he addressed Binunu, "If you disagree, I'll take Sasaki back into my mental realm and won't let it out for three days."

The black lion, which had been calmly patting Binunu with its paw, turned incredulously to look at Feng Chen upon hearing this.

Binunu growled at Feng Chen, baring its sharp, glistening teeth, and raised its paw, revealing its sharp claws.

"Go ahead and switch. I'll follow wherever you go anyway," Yan Bubu said, sitting on the bed and sneering at Feng Chen, "You just don't want me to kiss you, right? Wherever you sleep tonight, I'll be there. Where can you escape to?"

Feng Chen was about to speak when a voice from another room suddenly intervened, "It's late at night, don't split beds over a little quarrel."

"Yeah, sentinels should be more accommodating to their guides, don't be so stubborn."

"My guide was clueless too before, he—ow, stop pinching me."

"Forget it, no one minded what happened just now, you don't need to be mad at him."

"Just talk things out clearly, don't split beds, it's really hurtful."

……

Feng Chen silently stared at Yan Bubu, who then mouthed to him, "Splitting beds is really hurtful."

"Aren't you embarrassed? After all that shouting and screaming, don’t you feel ashamed now?" Feng Chen said, pulling Yan Bubu's cheek, "The walls of the central city should have been built as strong as your face; even zombies wouldn't stand a chance."

Yan Bubu mumbled, "Then I should apologize to them now..."

"Please, don't bring it up again. Staying quiet now is the best apology you can give them."

Feng Chen didn't switch places with Sasaki and stayed in bed. Yan Bubu, proudly hugging his arm, was about to say something when Feng Chen, with closed eyes, said indifferently, "If you don't settle down, I won't just switch beds, I'll throw you out the door."

"Who's being unruly? I'm being very well-behaved," mumbled Yan Bubu, closing his eyes.

He rubbed his face against Feng Chen's shoulder, feeling a hard, cold object. Without opening his eyes, he knew it was the birthday gift he gave Feng Chen, a pendant made of a massive metal piece.

He grabbed the pendant, tracing its patterns, and asked softly, "Brother, do you remember what's in less than two months?"

"What day?" Feng Chen inquired.

Ever since they were young, Yan Bubu always gave Feng Chen a gift on his birthday, and he never forgot to remind Feng Chen about his own upcoming birthday.

Although Feng Chen's annual gift to him was always a set of papers, leading from expectation to disappointment, it never stopped Yan Bubu from persistently reminding him.

"A special day, the one you just had," Yan Bubu hinted obviously.

"The special day I just had…" Feng Chen turned to look at him, his voice so low only the two of them could hear, "Is it about meeting Father's old friend, Chen Zhengshou?"

"No."

"Is it because of the commendation from the academy for our performance during the evacuation of the central city?"

"Not that either," Yan Bubu tugged at the necklace around his neck.

Feng Chen took the pendant from his palm and tucked it back into his collar, "Then, I can't remember."

Yan Bubu then mouthed to him, "Birthday... birthday..."

Feng Chen, looking down at Yan Bubu, finally couldn't pretend any longer when he began to vocalize the words 'birthday,' and said, "Alright... I remember, your birthday is coming up soon."

Yan Bubu's eyes crinkled into a smile, and Feng Chen added, "Actually, I've already prepared your birthday gift, no reminder needed."

"Really?" Yan Bubu sat up excitedly, only to be pulled back down by Feng Chen.

"You've already prepared my birthday gift? What is it?" Yan Bubu persisted in asking.

Now that they weren't in Haiyun City Research Institute or the Sentinel-Guide Academy, he couldn’t believe Feng Chen would give him another set of papers.

"Of course, it's the most meaningful gift," Feng Chen smiled at him, "A set of military theory and guide basics papers."

"Impossible! How can you still give out papers? We're in the camp, how can you have papers?" Yan Bubu was shocked and couldn’t keep his voice down.

"Can we not talk about papers so late at night? Just hearing the word 'papers' woke me up when I was almost asleep," came a voice from another room.

"Speaking of which, when the central city collapsed, I was doing papers, just one question left. I had just reviewed that topic the day before. Couldn't it wait till I finished answering?"

"It's great living in the camp, no more papers, at least not for the next three months."

"Are you guys going to sleep or not? Tonight's really been something."

……

Once the outside noise quieted down, Yan Bubu raised his eyebrows, his voice soft but fierce, "You're lying, right? How can there be papers in the camp?"

Feng Chen replied nonchalantly, "I borrowed a typewriter from the military department."

Borrowed a typewriter...

Yan Bubu's gaze blanked for a moment, his eyes frozen. He then started kicking wildly in bed, opening his mouth in a silent scream of frustration, and sat up to punch the air.

Feng Chen lay there, watching him flail with a contented expression, only stopping when Binunu, unable to bear it any longer, hit the bed twice. Seeing no effect, Binunu crawled out and glared at him furiously.

"Alright, let's sleep. If there's nothing tomorrow, you can review at home, and wait to do the papers on your birthday," Feng Chen yawned and reached out to turn off the light.