Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"Do you know what you look like right now?" Wu Yin, sinking into the soft sofa chair, neck arched back, eyes drooping, watched Jie Linyuan's pale lashes draw near, along with those lightly red lips that always spilled lies about teaching him to kiss.

"Like a demon tempting one into corruption?" Jie Linyuan chuckled, and as his words fell, he pinched Wu Yin's chin, leaving no time for thought or interruption, and leaned in to press their lips together.

Soft, warm, an indescribable touch... The experience wasn’t bad, a fact discernible from Wu Yin's gaze as they parted.

"Is this kissing?" Wu Yin pondered, touching his lips, where the sensation of Jie Linyuan's lips lingered. He lifted his eyes, as if having an important realization, pressed his thumb to the other's lower lip, and rubbed it outward, "Jie Linyuan... your lips have turned very red."

From the faint red of before to a bright, rouge-like brilliance now.

Jie Linyuan laughed softly: "Aren’t yours the same?"

After speaking, he grasped Wu Yin's hand that was rubbing his lips, leaned down again for another kiss. Wu Yin did not dodge but instead responded, allowing the kiss to linger, and even bit Jie Linyuan's lower lip when they parted.

"Biting me?" Jie Linyuan licked the small wound inside his mouth, his gaze dangerously playful, suppressing an urge to wreak havoc, "Did you learn that from the Black Knight or His Highness? Don’t bite next time."

Wu Yin didn’t know why he bit Jie Linyuan, only feeling an itch in his teeth, wanting to grind them against Jie Linyuan's soft lips.

"I saw others do this. They were a couple reunited after a long separation. I always thought it was an exclusive gesture of intimacy for lovers... So, it’s not just couples who kiss?" He mused, "Given our relationship, we can kiss too. We haven’t been apart for long... So, under what circumstances do people kiss?"

Of course, it's when one is a fool and the other is moved by desire.

Jie Linyuan couldn't help but pinch Wu Yin's chin again, kissing him fiercely, leaving a clear bite mark on his lips before getting up, satisfied.

"Did you kiss the wrong way?" Wu Yin, kneeling on the sofa, called out to his retreating figure heading for the bathroom, "Wasn’t it supposed to be the forehead? You said you’d teach me, but it seems you don’t know how either?"

Jie Linyuan's steps faltered, nearly stumbling on the bathroom step. He turned back awkwardly, glaring at Wu Yin before slamming the door shut.

“……”

Wu Yin pondered and turned around, but before he could sit, the bathroom door opened again. Jie Linyuan's warning voice came from inside, "Don’t go asking Qin Yue, Yang Mo, Hu Hongbo, or Xue Hongyi to do what we just did. And definitely don't go kissing strangers on the street. Kissing is something special that only people with a special relationship do at a specific time."

"That complicated?" Wu Yin was puzzled.

He knew Jie Linyuan was taking advantage of his lack of knowledge, and wouldn't easily explain things to him. Instead of dwelling on it, he accepted that both kissing and "eating" were indeed pleasurable experiences, accelerating his heartbeat and warming his blood.

"Tomorrow, I'm going out with you," Wu Yin reminded him. "Don't forget."

"No, you stay home," Jie Linyuan firmly refused. "Area G is not a place for you. You stand out too much, too clean, and too naive, almost like 'easy prey' written on your forehead. I can protect you, but your presence in Area G will cause chaos. Attracting high-level attention could hinder our plan to leave the Southern Camp, which would be counterproductive."

Wu Yin latched onto the key point, or rather, the rest of Jie Linyuan's speech became background noise, focusing on, "Sleeping together? What does that mean..."

The bathroom door clicked shut, with the sound of water being scooped and poured over a body emanating from within.

Wu Yin was about to burst in and drag the showering hunk out for an explanation, but then the apartment door was knocked, accompanied by excited barking outside. He temporarily abandoned the enigmatic shower occupant and opened the door, unsurprisingly greeted by His Highness.

The two-headed dog's tail wagged like a propeller. Once Wu Yin sat on the sofa, it excitedly jumped up, resting both heads on his lap.

"Why only you?"

The border collie explained clearly – "Dad dropped us off and went to the hospital for a check-up. He said he'd pick us up after."

The golden retriever sniffed around Wu Yin's jaw and lips – "Strange, why does your mouth have..."

Unable to describe the familiar scent, it sniffed more vigorously, barking twice for the border collie's help.

"What?" Wu Yin licked his lips unconsciously, "I just kissed Jie Linyuan. Are you smelling him on me?"

The border collie sniffed, remembered the scent, then lay its head back down, trying to recall – "No, the scent is familiar... like tea? It's the smell of tea."

The golden retriever had a revelation, barking excitedly – "Yes, yes! It's the tea of Marshal Xue's old squad leader!"

Border collie – "Old squad leader."

Golden retriever – "Hm."

Wu Yin, who hadn't smelled anything, didn't doubt the mutated dogs' sense of smell. He gently stroked their fur, asking softly, "This tea, besides Marshal Xue, who else drinks it?"

Golden retriever – "No one else, right? Mom said tea leaves are scarce. Nobody grows tea these days; every sip is one less."

"The Border Collie—yes, Marshal Xue Yue's Pu'er tea has a very distinctive aroma. I've never encountered a similar scent elsewhere."

"So, last night Jie Linyuan visited Marshal Xue Hongyi's grandfather, Marshal Xue, and received a fine cup of Pu'er tea in his office."

"Jie Linyuan, Xue Yue... How did they get in touch? Wu Yin pondered deeply, and from the current situation, Jie Linyuan had no intention of telling him about this, even seemingly deliberately hiding it."

"Jie Linyuan is keeping something from him, and Wu Yin is certain it's not anything good."

"It seems the free-range white rabbit has been without its master's discipline for too long and has become overly complacent."

……

"The next morning, Wu Yin didn't mention going to work together again. He obediently finished his milk and sat in the living room to play video games. Lao Hu had excitedly picked up several discarded game consoles of the same model as in Shiwu's possession at the garbage station the day before yesterday. Jie Linyuan had disassembled and reassembled them, and now the fully charged consoles could last from morning until Jie Linyuan returned from work in the evening."

"Wu Yin finally gave up on the forever unbeatable Tetris and switched to assaulting his housemate's eardrums with the sound effects of a rhythm game. But as long as he gave up on going to Area G, this noise was bearable."

"After breakfast, Jie Linyuan unplugged the charger from the game console, flexed his fingers, greeted Wu Yin who was staying home, and left with Qin Yue and others."

"Halfway up the 27-story staircase, Jie Linyuan suddenly called out the names of those ahead and behind, and casually asked, 'Recently, has anyone been asking about me and Shiwu?'"

"His voice remained gentle and deep, but the accusatory tone in his words was unmistakably clear. Lao Hu and Yang Mo immediately tensed up, and Qin Yue nervously recalled, 'Uh, Brother Jie, why do you ask?'"

"Jie Linyuan's tone didn't change, his face expressionless as he asked, 'Is there, or isn't there? And what exactly did you all say?'"

"'There is...' Qin Yue guiltily lowered his head, and both Yang Mo and Lao Hu also averted their eyes from Jie Linyuan."

The three of them had similar experiences - their colleagues had seen them dining with Jie Linyuan and Shiwu in the cafeteria. Consequently, during work, people would approach them, eager to gossip about Jie Linyuan and Shiwu.

Given the striking appearance of the two, it was normal to be questioned. So, without much thought and to get some peace, they satisfied their colleagues' curiosity with a few words.

Of course, Jie Linyuan wouldn't believe their so-called "few words". He suspected that they divulged everything - Yang Mo's dual personality amnesia, Jie Linyuan's double-surnamed family servant, and Shiwu's scandalous news.

After speaking, the three repeatedly apologized, asking if they had caused trouble for Jie Linyuan and promised to be tight-lipped in the future.

"The trouble is already done, what's the point of talking about the future?"

Jie Linyuan's cold scoff immediately made Qin Yue and the others halt in embarrassment, exchanging looks, too nervous to speak.

However, Jie Linyuan soon let go of his anger, waved his hand at them and chuckled ambiguously: "Forget it, it's not a big issue..."

"One often learns from mistakes. Anyway, I'll be leaving Nanying soon. The consequences of loose talk won't fall on me."

……

After taking over the night shift, Jie Linyuan adorned the G-zone patrol badge on his collar, a gun on his left waist, a knife on his right, and a baton on his back. Fully equipped, he straightened his attire and patrolled the streets with a neat appearance.

During the day, G-zone areas supervised by patrollers were mostly trouble-free. Homeless drifters huddled in the shadows of walls, and as Jie Linyuan passed by, they were too lazy to even lift their eyelids.

Occasionally, a starving child, emboldened by hunger, would approach these badge-wearing individuals, pitifully begging for food. In situations with no one around, a generous patroller might secretly slip them some steamed buns or rice cakes. However, if there were onlookers, patrollers would sternly shoo them away with a grim face.

Although Jie Linyuan had worked triple shifts, he had never encountered anyone trying to strike up a conversation. Whether it was children begging for food, prostitutes soliciting, or the elderly faking accidents - common occurrences for his colleagues - he had never experienced them.

Colleagues joked that his exceptional appearance - silver hair and red eyes - was too distinctive, making him stand out in G-zone like a pearl in murky waters, a crane among chickens, deterring anyone from approaching him easily.

"Jie Linyuan was initially pleased to spend a few quiet days here, but his happiness was premature. Just an hour into his shift today, seven or eight burly men in black clothes surrounded him on the street. The leader, wearing a badge on his chest, nonchalantly said, 'Our boss wants to see you. Come along nicely, little security guard.'"

"The previous moment's listless drifters leaning against walls vanished in the next, but some nosy onlookers still poked out their heads to watch the drama of abducting a civilian."

"Jie Linyuan glanced down at the badge, which read 'Deserted Island Mercenary Group,' an unheard-of gang, likely an unofficial group of hooligans, probably not even officially registered."

"'I'm on duty, please step aside.' Knowing it was futile, Jie Linyuan still politely gestured for them to let him pass. He had had three quiet days at work, only for this 'big event' to happen today."

"But it was also good. His whereabouts had already been exposed to the higher-ups of Nanying, so there was no point in being low-key anymore. Establishing authority through force now would save trouble in the coming days."

"As expected, his politeness was met with mockery. The thugs echoed his words sarcastically, one of them vulgarly jeering, 'With such a firm chest and perky butt, how did you end up in Area G as a security guard? Did your sugar daddy die, or did you run away? Your body's damn sturdy, and those red eyes, must be from insatiable nightly desires, right?'"

"Honestly, Jie Linyuan, because of his inhuman silver hair and red eyes, had often been mistaken for a rich person's specially modified toy, but no one had ever dared to fantasize about him so blatantly."

"Luckily, Wu Yin wasn't here, he thought, or who knows what insults and defamations he would have faced."

"Especially since Wu Yin, the fool, didn't understand these things and wouldn't even realize if he was taken advantage of."

"If someone with ulterior motives asked him if he knew what kissing was, this guy would probably eagerly say he just learned it yesterday, then naively lean in. The thugs in Area G wouldn't be as gentle as he was, not considering Wu Yin's first time and not even extending a hand. They would surely deceive Wu Yin thoroughly, and the idiot would still be oblivious to being played..."

"The more sordid the scenario in Jie Linyuan's mind grew, the angrier he became, discarding all restraint and disguise. The thug who had spoken obscenely was still laughing, and the next second, he was kicked flying by Jie Linyuan, crashing into a wall with a thud, instantly silent."

"At that moment, all sounds on the street ceased abruptly."

"Especially those surrounding Jie Linyuan, their expressions frozen, awkwardly twisting their necks to look at their collapsed companion on the ground, like grotesque, shocked puppets, too terrified even to think of escaping."

"The air seemed to stand still until the leader was grabbed by the throat, letting out a short, shrill cry like a chicken. This seemed to hit the play button on a paused film, and the thugs immediately turned tail and fled in terror."

"Jie Linyuan smashed one of his men's noses with a punch and then chased down the slowest runner, leaping into a flying kick that sent him crashing to the ground."

……

Since our last meeting, Marshal Xue assigned the hot-tempered Xia Yangyan to tail Jie Linyuan around the clock. Jie Linyuan was aware of this and didn't seem to mind, so the secret following soon turned into an overt tailing.

When Xia Yangyan saw Jie Linyuan cornered, he hesitated at first about intervening. But soon, he rushed out without a second thought about the awkwardness of his position...

He had to step in, or Jie Linyuan would have slaughtered them all.