Chapter 355: Awakening

Chapter 355 Awakening

In the hospital room, Qi Yi bent down, his gaze falling on the guide’s shut eyes. He reached out to touch the guide’s unruly hair falling over his forehead, then stood up and nodded at Ji Xiuyun, "Let's go."

"Alright." Ji Xiuyun took a deep breath. "Bai Wen’s already nearby. I'll take you to her."

Bai Wen had been released from prison and settled in a cottage near the White Tower.

Qi Yi nodded, finally reaching out to pull the blanket snug around the guide one last time.

"..."

Lu Liu screamed internally, "No, don't."

But he couldn't speak.

This body was in a hazy half-consciousness, uncontrolled by its owner, running a high fever. Lu Liu's body was burning up but chilled to the bone, his muscles aching all over; he couldn’t even twitch a finger.

But Qi Yi was already about to leave.

Lu Liu struggled to move his eyelids, making his lashes flutter weakly. Unfortunately, the movement was too faint to catch Qi Yi's attention.

Lu Liu: "..."

Furious!

The sentinel was still discussing Bai Wen with Ji Xiuyun.

Qi Yi touched his neck and said coolly, "Contact the White Tower. Ask if they have any spare collars left and send one over."

Since Lu Liu came into power, these degrading restraints had mostly been abolished, with only a few remaining in the White Tower.

"..."

Lu Liu thought angrily, "Idiot Qi Yi, don’t you dare!"

Though the sentinel would look beautiful in a collar, Bai Wen couldn't see it!

Lu Liu struggled to control his body, his fingers flexing weakly as he reached toward the edge of the bed. The movement was painstaking, fueled by sheer will, like a snail inching forward. Finally, he pressed two fingers against Qi Yi's clothes and managed a weak grip.

Qi Yi was just about to leave.

He took one last look at the guide and stepped forward, only to feel a subtle pull on his sleeve.

Qi Yi froze. When he realized what was happening, his body stiffened.

Ji Xiuyun: "What's wrong?"

Qi Yi didn't answer, merely lowering his gaze to his clothes, where a corner had disappeared under the blanket, bunched up oddly, as if being pulled.

Qi Yi’s breath hitched.

Ji Xiuyun: "...What is it?"

Ignoring his deputy, Qi Yi sat back down by the bed and peeled back the blanket. His fingers trembled slightly for some reason. When he lifted the covers, he found the guide's fingers clutching his shirt with surprising strength.

Ji Xiuyun gasped: "What?"

Lu Liu's lashes trembled as he clutched the fabric desperately, his lips moving with difficulty as he managed a ragged whisper.

"..."

Qi Yi went rigid.

He turned his head robotically to look at the guide's pale face. Shock, astonishment, and disbelief flickered through his eyes before finally settling into a bewildered hesitation.

Qi Yi bent down with painstaking care, as if afraid of waking a fragile dream. Slowly, he lowered his head and brought his ear close to the guide's lips.

He heard the guide's feverish murmur clearly.

"Qi Yi," Lu Liu said, "Don't go."

"Come back."

"Don't."

"No."

"..."

The Sentinel suddenly reached out and gripped the Guide tightly. His hold was so forceful that his fingers nearly forced open the Guide's hand, interlacing their fingers together.

Then, that hand trembled ever so slightly. Something icy trailed down his jaw and dripped onto the Guide's cheek.

Qi Yi was an SS-level Sentinel. His hands never so much as trembled, not even when firing a gun.

So, Lu Liu frowned and mumbled.

Qi Yi heard him say, "Don't cry."

"I'm fine."

"It'll be over soon, very soon, very soon..."

The Sentinel could hold back no longer. He lifted the Guide's hand and pressed it against his cheek.

Lu Liu's eyelashes trembled, his fingertips brushing lightly under the Sentinel's eyes in a motion like wiping away tears.

Then, more warm liquid soaked his fingertips, soaking the skin completely.

*

Lu Liu came to at dusk.

Qi Yi had left the back of Lu Liu's hand streaked with tears before abruptly standing up and rushing into the attending physician's office. Soon, they hooked him up to a battery of machines again, beeping and whirring, making it impossible for Lu Liu to sleep. Amid the noise, he regained command of his limbs and fluttered his eyes open.

The first thing he saw was Qi Yi beside him.

Qi Yi was reading Lu Liu's medical report, packed with medical terminology. It was unclear how much the Sentinel could actually understand. His striking brows knit together as he searched and tried to make sense of every parameter.

Lu Liu reached out and plucked the report from his hands.

Under the Sentinel's suddenly delighted gaze, he calmly stretched out his arms. "Too weak. Hold me."

He had been lying down for too long and felt uncomfortable. Lu Liu wanted to sit up.

So, he received a lunging, bone-crushing hug.

The Dark Sentinel pressed his newly-returned Guide into his arms, resting his chin on the Guide's forehead. His arms tightened with force, forming a cocooning embrace.

His whole frame shook, as if unable to suppress the tidal wave of emotion inside. Lu Liu paused briefly before raising his hand to draw soothing circles on the Sentinel's back.

Lu Liu felt that Qi Yi's current behavior was almost identical to Caesar's—like a neglected, wronged big cat. He clung stubbornly to the guide, rubbing against him as if to prove something.

He stroked Qi Yi's back twice before wrapping his arms around him, whispering, "There, there, I'm fine now, really, really."

Then, he ruffled the sentinel's short hair a couple of times, like he was petting Caesar’s furry head.

Oddly enough, though Qi Yi usually acted cold and tough, his hair was unexpectedly soft to the touch—just like Caesar's.

So Lu Liu ruffled it a few more times.

Unfortunately, the comforting didn’t help. Instead, the big cat squeezed him harder.

A long, long time passed—so long that their body heat soaked through their clothes—before Qi Yi seemed to finally calm down from the physical contact. He realized this wasn't an illusion or a dream. His trembling stopped, but he still didn't let go.

The sentinel was slightly larger than Lu Liu, who was pretty much swallowed up in his arms.

The hug was comfortable and secure, so Lu Liu didn't resist, letting the sentinel hold him as he pleased.

Still weak and feverish, and feeling cold and sluggish, Lu Liu let his eyes drift shut, enjoying the warmth of the embrace, his face buried in something soft. He held back for a while, then finally couldn't resist pushing against the sentinel, grumbling, "Hey."

He was being squeezed too tightly—it was hard to breathe, and he was starting to feel dizzy.

Qi Yi released him, stepping back to hide his flustered state. Meanwhile, Lu Liu's gaze lingered on the spot where his nose had just been pressed, eyeing it skeptically. "Is it really that soft?" he wondered.

It felt so good.

He wanted to touch it again.

But Lu Liu was human now, and he had to learn human manners. Making such a request out of the blue would probably get him called a creep.

With regret, Lu Liu shelved the idea. He pulled his thoughts back and turned his attention to the food container on the bedside table. "Qi Yi, I'm starving. I want to eat."

He had no idea how long it had been since this body last ate—Lu Liu was seriously starving.

The sentinel snatched up the food container and hurried out, pausing briefly to lift his head, as if trying to blink away the wetness in his eyes.

Ten minutes later, Lu Liu was happily chowing down on his favorite sweet and sour pork with pineapple.

Qi Yi was an excellent cook. Even though the dish had been stored in a thermal container and reheated, it was still delicious—juicy chunks of meat glazed in golden sauce, paired with green and red peppers, making it mouthwatering.

Lu Liu: "Wow."

He began wolfing it down.

Between bites, he asked, "I was out for days, right? Why did you make sweet and sour pork with pineapple today too? What a coincidence."

The tanned, stoic guy averted his eyes. "Mhm."

It clicked for Lu Liu. He cheerfully speared a piece of pineapple and popped it into his mouth, then poked Qi Yi's waist with a finger. "Don't tell me you made this every single day I was unconscious?"

The meat in the container was fresh—clearly made that very day.

"..."

The cool guy rubbed his nose and stared out the window without a word.

Lu Liu: "Thank you!"

The feeling of being remembered was truly wonderful, and Lu Liu couldn’t help feeling happy.

Thus, the sentinel’s lips curved up—this time by a full five pixels.

*

Unfortunately, Lu Liu couldn't enjoy his first meal upon waking to the fullest.

Halfway through, just as he was about to reach for the cream cake on top of the lunchbox, the sentinel took it away.

Qi Yi said sternly, "You're still recovering. The doctor said you can't eat anything too greasy. You can only have one bite of cake—no more."

Lu Liu: "QAQ." (teary-eyed expression)

Qi Yi averted his gaze again. "No. If the doctor says no, it’s final. Besides, don't you want to recover in time for the vacation?"

There wasn't much time left before the vacation.

During this period, the doctor visited several times. He remarked with slight surprise to Qi Yi, "It's a bit unbelievable. Lu Liu's condition has completely stabilized. His Spirit Sea seems stable now—he's just physically weak. With another half-month of observation, he can be fully discharged."

So, if Lu Liu could fully recover in the remaining time, they could still go on vacation.

Lu Liu’s eyes lit up: "!"

With great difficulty, he forced himself to look away from the little cake.

Qi Yi laughed softly, watching the stubborn lock of hair on Lu Liu’s head droop again, looking completely crestfallen. "Fine. Once you're better, I'll make you lots and lots of cake."

Lu Liu’s hair bounced back up. "Every flavor?"

Qi Yi: "Every flavor."

And so, Lu Liu remained hospitalized for a few more days.

His condition improved day by day. By the final checkup, he was indistinguishable from a healthy person—his psi was calm and stable, perfectly healthy.

The doctor said he could prepare for discharge.

Qi Yi, still uneasy, insisted on running a full battery of tests and making him stay a few more days. Lu Liu hopped around excitedly in front of him, his stubborn lock of hair bouncing along. "I'm fine, really. See? I can be discharged now."

Qi Yi: "No. You still need a full-spectrum psi-wave scan."

The full-spectrum psi-wave scan required lying motionless in a dark examination pod for two hours—something Lu Liu was extremely reluctant to do.

He protested softly, "I don't think it's necessary. Not only is my psi fine, but I feel like it might even be better than before."

All lingering ailments had vanished. Lu Liu was full of energy, as if the issues from before no longer existed. He even felt he could immediately heal the remaining sentinels.

This suggestion was shot down by Qi Yi.

The sentinel was surprisingly firm on this matter. Faced with the unwilling guide, Qi Yi simply asked, "Do you still want to go on vacation?"—and Lu Liu immediately backed down.

Thus, in the end, he was still pushed to the Treatment Pod.

As he was about to lie down, Lu Liu continued his quiet protest. "Really, I genuinely feel better than before. Maybe I'm even stronger now."

Qi Yi didn't believe it at all.

In the history of sentinels and guides, there had never been a case where someone's Spirit Sea collapsed and then became even stronger.

He humored him with three vague "Mm-hmms," patting him like a child—"Okay," "Mm-hm, I get it," "Sure"—before firmly guiding him down into the Treatment Pod.