Chapter 152

Chapter 152

Faced with Luo Yu's innocence, Shen Geng felt like he was picking on a kid.

...But he still had to go.

Though...

Shen Geng thought about Bai Xingshu, then about Luo Yu...

How to put it...

It might not be the best way to think, but Shen Geng couldn’t imagine these two clueless guys developing anything between them.

Back in the dorm, Shen Geng bluntly told Bai Xingshu about Luo Yu’s invitation.

Bai Xingshu had never imagined Luo Yu would skip his dorm over something like this.

After struggling to keep it in, Bai Xingshu couldn’t suppress his laughter and shot back, "How did Xiao Luo even pick up this habit of caring about appearances from you?"

"During the long vacation, haven't I seen him in all sorts of messy situations?"

"Back when he first handled corpses at an accident scene, he was puking his guts out, his legs shaking as he walked, his face covered in tears and snot. And now he suddenly cares about his image?"

Bai Xingshu’s brutal roast left Shen Geng at a loss for words.

In the end, Shen Geng pressed a hand to his guilty conscience and spoke up for Luo Yu’s delicate feelings, "...When you go out with him this weekend, don’t say any of that to Xiao Luo."

Just imagining Luo Yu’s reaction to such words made Shen Geng feel like the poor guy would be completely devastated.

"I’m not an idiot," Bai Xingshu said, gave him a look before realizing, then eyeing Shen Geng with amusement, teasing, "Is this from personal experience?"

Shen Geng: "..."

The question instantly made Shen Geng tense up.

Oh.

He’d only been thinking about Luo Yu.

Shen Geng thought it over, then cautiously met Bai Xingshu’s gaze and asked uncertainly, "Have I... ever been like that?"

Bai Xingshu studied Shen Geng’s expression, holding back a smirk for a while, enjoying watching him squirm before finally cracking up.

"You really don’t need to prove to me that you care about your image even more than Xiao Luo does!" Bai Xingshu was dying laughing.

Watching Bai Xingshu’s amusement, Shen Geng’s anxiety didn’t let up—he still hadn’t gotten his answer.

If Luo Yu cared about his image in Bai Xingshu’s eyes, of course Shen Geng would too.

Had he ever been like that?

Probably not... right?

Shen Geng scrambled to remember his behavior during the two long vacations he’d spent with Bai Xingshu. The most disheveled he’d ever been was probably when he was stuck on a case, tearing his hair out over it in frustration...

He didn’t recall ever having reacted the way Luo Yu had.

It wasn’t that Shen Geng was numb to crime scenes—it was just that...

Thank the heavens, thank the earth, thank his dear old dad.

Back then, to make him better understand the preciousness and importance of life, when he was just over ten years old, they put him through those kinds of experiences quite often.

The panic responses had already been triggered back then, so now, in front of Bai Xingshu, Shen Geng could still hold his head high.

Thinking of this, Shen Geng recalled again how Bai Xingshu had reacted to such scenes when they first partnered up, and new doubts surfaced in his heart.

Bai Xingshu’s reaction at the time had been completely unfazed—looking at those gruesome sights with the same gaze as if they were everyday objects like tables and chairs, as though encountering such things was completely normal.

That just didn’t add up.

Shen Geng couldn’t quite understand it.

Even though he had been put through special training by his own father to face such brutal scenes, after recovering, he still couldn’t match Bai Xingshu’s level of calm.

The social reform efforts on Xitu Star had been ongoing for over a year now—maybe they should push harder?

But based on the reports he’d received, it seemed there had never been any reports of brutality from Xitu Star. The descriptions were all about the place being old-fashioned and rustic, no different from most remote planets.

Shen Geng glanced at Bai Xingshu again.

He trusted completely the people assigned to work on Xitu Star.

Shen Geng also knew the principle: “Trust those you employ, and don’t employ those you distrust.”

Still, Shen Geng trusted his own eyes.

So…

If the opportunity arose in the future…

An idea popped into his head, and he couldn’t help but feel a spark of excitement.

If there was a chance during this year’s long vacation, he should make a trip back to Xitu Star with Bai Xingshu.

Shen Geng’s thoughts wandered off from the original topic as he pondered, but Bai Xingshu still remembered what Shen Geng had said earlier.

Bai Xingshu knew that Shen Geng was always image-conscious. His joking earlier hadn’t actually been meant to divert the conversation.

So while Shen Geng was reminiscing about the long vacation, Bai Xingshu also carefully recalled all the moments they had spent together.

Truth be told, Bai Xingshu really couldn’t imagine any instance where Shen Geng had let his image slip.

As the saying goes, if someone is good-looking, they could make a sack look good.

That was how Shen Geng existed in Bai Xingshu’s perception. If there was ever a truly disheveled moment, it would probably have been during that incident in the factory’s containment area.

After the explosion, there was no avoiding the dust and soot—Shen Geng must have been a complete mess that time.

And yet…

Bai Xingshu hadn’t seen it.

Suddenly, regret struck him.

Back then, he had overused his abilities, seeing stars and losing his sense of smell completely. Otherwise…

Recalling how he had strained to see Shen Geng’s face at the time, Bai Xingshu rested his chin in his hand and watched Shen Geng expectantly.

Shen Geng: "?"

"What is it?" Shen Geng cautiously asked Bai Xingshu.

He knew that whenever Bai Xingshu gave him that particular look and expression, he was scheming something.

Yet every time, Shen Geng would still ask exactly the question Bai Xingshu wanted him to.

He couldn’t help it...

He simply couldn’t refuse Bai Xingshu’s expectations.

Shen Geng felt that if Bai Xingshu wanted the stars or the moon, he would find a way to get them for him.

Then, Shen Geng heard what Bai Xingshu was eagerly waiting to say.

"I wonder what you’d look like with no shame," Bai Xingshu’s face practically screamed, 'Let me see!'

Shen Geng: "..."

Shen Geng: "......"

Lowering his head, Shen Geng opened his communicator with a blank face and quickly typed, "So, having dinner with Xiao Luo this weekend is no problem, right? I’ll reply to him."

Stars or the moon? Sure. But this? No way!!

Seeing Shen Geng’s reaction, Bai Xingshu burst out laughing.

He really couldn’t help teasing Shen Geng—every reaction he gave was just too funny.

In the end, Bai Xingshu, who had originally intended to answer Shen Geng’s question, unconsciously dropped the subject for reasons unknown even to himself.

After watching Shen Geng reply to Luo Yu for a while, a question suddenly occurred to Bai Xingshu. He turned to Shen Geng and asked, "Are you going this weekend too?"

Shen Geng, who had just resumed his studies, paused and looked back at Bai Xingshu. Half-teasingly, he shot back, "Shouldn’t it be, 'Do you want me to go?'"

Bai Xingshu hadn’t expected Shen Geng to throw the question back at him and stopped short.

He picked up something strange in Shen Geng’s tone.

Blinking, Bai Xingshu thought it over before realizing—somehow, under Shen Geng’s gaze, he suddenly felt guilty. His eyes darted away, unable to meet Shen Geng’s, and he gave an awkward chuckle.

"Oh right, Xiao Luo is also a top-tier Alpha. I forgot."

"Relax, I don’t mess with friends. I’d never hit on Xiao Luo!" Bai Xingshu said immediately, assuring Shen Geng.

Promising that he would never let Shen Geng feel left out!

Though Bai Xingshu could tell the system he had no interest in younger people—since the system knew his real maturity level—saying the same to Shen Geng would sound totally unbelievable.

After all, the age gap between a freshman and a sophomore was barely a gap.

So Bai Xingshu made up a better excuse for Shen Geng.

Hearing this, Shen Geng was instantly hit hard by the accidental meaning of Bai Xingshu’s words.

The saying "A fox doesn't prey near its den" somehow seemed to fit him better than it did Luo Yu.

Experiencing the sharpness of Bai Xingshu's words, which always hit two targets at once, Shen Geng had no desire to continue the conversation. He replied halfheartedly, "Yeah, Xiao Luo invited me too."

Completely unaware of the verbal daggers he'd thrown, Bai Xingshu's eyes crinkled with amusement as he gave Shen Geng a knowing gesture. Lightly, he walked over to his wardrobe.

Hmm... he wondered.

What should he wear for the weekend?

Bai Xingshu stared at his wardrobe, which held barely any casual clothes besides the standard school-issued attire.

Not like he had many options anyway.

Wait—why had he even walked over to his wardrobe?

It only just occurred to Bai Xingshu. He scolded himself inwardly.

He already knew exactly what was in there.

The cheerful mood carried on until the weekend, when Luo Yu once again appeared before Bai Xingshu, as bright-eyed as ever.

The moment Luo Yu caught sight of Bai Xingshu, his eyes lit up, his voice overflowing with excitement. "Senior! You actually dressed up for today!!"

His excitement was completely unrestrained.

After spending over a month together during the long vacation, Luo Yu had come to understand exactly what kind of person Bai Xingshu was.

For Bai Xingshu to dress up for his invitation—this was huge!

Was he even worthy of this?

Caught up in his thoughts, Luo Yu felt almost weightless, his smile spreading uncontrollably at Bai Xingshu. His eyes were fixed so intently on him that he completely missed Shen Geng standing stiffly behind Bai Xingshu, lips pressed tightly together, clearly not planning to say anything.

As for Bai Xingshu himself, he didn't think he'd made any special effort.

His wardrobe had so few clothes, and he’d already worn them all during undercover operations at the police station.

Just different combinations of the same few pieces—nothing you could really call dressing up.

The only slightly special thing today was the handkerchief a classmate had given him, which he’d casually folded and tucked into the breast pocket of his shirt as decoration.

After all, this wasn’t some undercover mission—it was a proper outing. Throwing in an accessory made perfect sense.

He’d seen Shen Geng do the same.

When it came to etiquette, you couldn't go wrong copying Shen Geng!