Chapter 83 Miss You

Chapter 83: Thinking of You

Yu Xin froze for a few seconds.

Although he’d had a premonition upon seeing Bai Yizhou, seeing Ji Yixing in person still felt… utterly unbelievable.

His heart suddenly began to pound uncontrollably. He heard his own voice, tinged with surprise: "General Ji, why did you personally come to pick me up?"

A top general, setting aside his busy official duties to personally pick up a chef working away from home—by anyone's standards, this was an incredible thing.

Ji Yixing was wearing glasses. Through the lenses, his eyes seemed not as clear as usual, unexpectedly deeper and more profound.

He gestured for Yu Xin to come closer. As the dark-haired young man pursed his lips and approached, Ji Yixing reached to the side, picked something up, and tucked it into Yu Xin's arms.

Suddenly, a heavy ball of fur landed in his embrace. Yu Xin looked down to see a little black cat placing its front paws on his chest, lifting its head to look at him, and letting out a soft meow.

A cat?

Confused, Yu Xin hugged the cat and looked at Ji Yixing.

Ji Yixing leaned back lazily, watching the man and the cat with a faint smile. "The cat missed you. It kept begging me to bring it along to pick you up."

The little black cat: "……"

Yu Xin hadn't expected such an answer. At a loss for words, he reshuffled the cat in his arms to make it more comfortable and casually remarked, "It must be missing the cat food I make."

"Not exactly," Ji Yixing suddenly said with seriousness. "It does miss your cooking, but it misses you even more."

His tone was completely sincere, as if the cat had whispered it directly into his ear.

"……" Yu Xin didn't know how to respond and said with a laugh, "Since when could cats speak human language? Or does General Ji have a special gift for understanding what cats say?"

"I just know."

Ji Yixing looked at him intently. "Sometimes cats and people are alike. When a kitten likes someone, it thinks of them often, misses them constantly. If you don’t believe me, ask it yourself."

The kitten meowed a few times, as if genuinely complaining about Yu Xin’s long absence.

"Alright then."

Yu Xin took the kitten's paw and gently shook it up and down, whispering, "I’m sorry for being away so long. I’ll make you something delicious to make it up to you when we get back, okay?"

The kitten lifted its head and licked the tip of his nose with its tiny tongue. Holding it, Yu Xin felt his heart soften a little.

"What’s that in your hand?" Ji Yixing’s voice interrupted the affectionate moment between human and cat.

Yu Xin finally remembered. He raised the bag in his hand. "This is some tea I picked myself. It’s already roasted and tastes quite good. Would you like to try some, General Ji?"

"Just tea?"

"Huh?"

"Yu Xin," General Ji said, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible dissatisfaction—or was it just his imagination? "I want fruit jam too. And tea eggs."

Those mesmerizing rose-gold eyes stared fixedly at him. "You wouldn’t make them only for others and not for me, would you?"

"...I gave those away to everyone else. If you want some, General Ji, I’ll make some for you again when we get back."

Yu Xin found himself struggling to handle General Ji's demeanor today and unconsciously adopted a soothing tone.

Had he heard correctly? The empire's revered God of War was acting like a kindergarten child who got less candy than others.

"Hello, are you having a good chat?"

Bai Yizhou opened the cabin door and stepped inside, dispelling the awkward atmosphere in the room.

He glanced past Yu Xin and exchanged a look with Ji Yixing, his eyes teasing as he subtly gave a knowing look.

He had intentionally stayed outside chatting with the terminal staff to give them plenty of time alone—wasn’t that considerate enough?

Ji Yixing cleared his throat, shaking off his petty mood, and reverted to the dignified Empire's General. "Yu Xin, come sit beside me. Yizhou, notify the front cabin—we’re heading back to base."

Yu Xin obediently brought the cat over and sat next to Ji Yixing, fastening his seatbelt. Bai Yizhou sent the command, and soon the aircraft lifted off, heading toward the star system where Iris Base was located.

After five days of roughing it in the wild, Yu Xin finally returned to his comfortable room.

He took a shower and collapsed onto the bed, musing about how quickly one gets used to luxury. What used to be second nature—living in the wild—had, in such a short time, been replaced by a preference for soft beds and pillows. Returning to the wild now felt downright uncomfortable.

He picked up his terminal and noticed Cheng Zikun had sent him several messages. After a moment’s thought, he called him back.

The call connected quickly, and Cheng Zikun’s hologram appeared before him.

"Xin-ge, you’re finally back! Where’ve you been all this time? Your livestream viewers all came asking me where you went, and I had no idea what to say… Was it that old pervert—I mean, that boss—keeping you from showing up?"

As soon as the call connected, Cheng Zikun launched into a rapid-fire monologue, filling Yu Xin’s room with noisy chatter.

"Don’t talk nonsense. I went to record a variety show. Didn’t I announce the break on my livestream?" Yu Xin replied.

"Oh right, you were part of a variety show." Cheng Zikun didn’t usually follow such programs and had completely forgotten about Yu Xin’s other work.

He suddenly remembered—his Xin-ge had joined some wilderness survival show, and it seemed pretty popular too. He recalled that his uncle’s younger cousin was a huge fan of Yu Xin and had even asked him for contact info.

Of course, he wouldn’t just hand out Xin-ge’s contact details to anyone.

The thought sparked his business instincts: "Listen, Xin-ge, you’re pretty hot online right now. Since people don’t hate you anymore, why not just reveal your identity? Announce on your livestream that you’re Yu Xin. Combine the audiences from both sides, and your popularity will definitely skyrocket!"

He grew more and more excited, convinced it was a brilliant idea. "A versatile streamer who’s actually the formerly canceled underdog turned success story—what a killer hook! It’ll blow up the StarNet. Xin-ge, trust me, this is the way to go…"

"Enough, enough," Yu Xin rolled over on the bed, cutting him off. "I don’t plan on revealing anything. Things are fine as they are. What do I need that much hype for?"

In just a few months, he’d witnessed how quickly netizens could change their minds—how they could adore you one moment and despise you the next. Besides, both his identities were connected to Ji Yixing in some way, and he was worried that if he went public, sharp-eyed netizens might trace things back to Ji Yixing.

After the variety show ended, he planned to let the "Yu Xin" identity gradually fade from the public eye, keeping only his streaming persona.

"Alright then…" Cheng Zikun sounded a bit disappointed but didn’t push further.

"Still, you’ve got to get back to streaming soon. What rising streamer takes breaks this often? Only you, Xin-ge. Any other newcomer who disappears for days on end would be completely forgotten."

"No problem there. I’ll rest today and start streaming again tomorrow—gaming. Want to join?" Yu Xin hadn’t figured out his long-term plans yet, so for now, he’d focus on streaming.

"Of course!!" Cheng Zikun agreed immediately. He missed the feeling of being carried in games—playing without Yu Xin just wasn’t the same.

"Good, let’s set it for tomorrow night. I’ll post an announcement ahead of time."

Yu Xin ended the call, sat up from the bed, and organized the things he’d brought back. After sending his dirty clothes for laundry and tidying up his room, he found himself with nothing to do and decided to go out for a stroll.

Yu Xin hadn’t expected that upon his return, he’d receive such a warm welcome from everyone, including all the cats, throughout the entire base.

Everyone he encountered on the way greeted him warmly. Fang Yuting, upon seeing him, rushed over with teary eyes: "Yu Xin! You're finally back!"

She had been dying to try *Wilderness Adventure* and was thrilled to finally taste Yu Xin's cooking again!

Yu Xin asked her to wait a moment, then went back to his room to grab the rose tea he had brought back from the wilderness and gave it to her: "I picked and dried these myself out in the wild. Take them and enjoy."

"I know, I know, I watched this episode," the young girl said happily, already planning to post pictures to brag on her socials later.

She'd finally gotten to taste Yu Xin’s handmade rose tea. Hmph!

After bidding farewell to Fang Yuting, he ran into Ji Mingcheng outside the training room.

He seemed to have just finished training, still wearing his training gear with sweat-damp hair plastered to his forehead, steaming all over.

Spotting Yu Xin, his eyes lit up, and he immediately called out: "Yu Xin!"

Yu Xin turned around to see the tall young man giving off heat, quickly walking toward him while pulling down the zipper of his training suit to just below his pecs.

Ji Mingcheng already had a well-developed chest, and with the zipper pulled down like that, it looked like they were about to burst out, barely restrained by the precarious zipper, giving his training suit an... interesting effect.

Yu Xin averted his gaze and subtly took a step back.

Ji Mingcheng had already reached him, wiping his sweaty forehead as he said, "You're finally back. Yizhou told me you were away filming. I stuck around base the last few days just to wait for you."

He reached out to grasp the black-haired young man’s shoulder: "Let’s spar again! No, let’s have a few more matches. I admit my combat skills had gotten rusty. I’ve been putting in extra training these past few days—no way I'm letting you beat me again!"

Yu Xin sidestepped deftly, avoiding his hand. Before he could speak, the training room door slid open, and Ji Yixing stepped out.

He also seemed to have just finished training, dressed in a pure black training suit, but unlike Ji Mingcheng, he wasn’t drenched in sweat—only his face was slightly flushed. Yet, his aura was entirely different, like a freshly sharpened blade. Get too close, and you might get cut by the intensity.

He was strong, incredibly strong.

Yu Xin’s years of combat instinct told him so.

Though Ji Yixing was known as the God of War and carried an imposing dignity, he usually seemed quite easygoing. Only at this moment did Yu Xin catch a glimpse of the decisive, undefeated General Ji from the battlefield.

As Ji Yixing approached them, his intense aura gradually receded, and he greeted Yu Xin with a gentle smile.

Yu Xin snapped out of his slight daze and finally noticed something else.

His eyes uncontrollably drifted toward Ji Yixing’s figure.

Aside from that time on the island, this was the second time he had seen General Ji’s physique up close.

As he drew nearer, Yu Xin realized he was even taller than Ji Mingcheng. Unlike Ji Mingcheng’s less-than-modest attire, General Ji’s training suit was zipped all the way up, yet it was even more… captivating.

"Uncle! You’re done too? I was just asking Yu Xin for a rematch. Want to watch?" Ji Mingcheng’s voice broke Yu Xin’s train of thought, and he quickly averted his gaze from Ji Yixing.

General Ji’s body was totally his type, but he couldn’t afford to get lost admiring his employer’s build, could he?

He turned his face away awkwardly, missing the slightly smug smile on Ji Yixing’s face. All he heard was the man’s rich, deep voice: "I heard. You have some nerve challenging Yu Xin right after he returns from wilderness survival. Trying to kick him when he's down?"

Ji Mingcheng hurriedly explained, "Of course not! I’ll let Yu Xin rest for a few days and regain his stamina. I want to beat him fair and square!"

"Alright," Yu Xin accepted the challenge, then added, "But I’m going to be streaming a game soon. Want to join?"

The game he played was great for testing reflexes and combat skills. Since Ji Mingcheng wanted to compete, they could also face off in the game.

"Which game?" Ji Mingcheng grew interested. "I didn’t know you stream games too."

Yu Xin told him the name, and Ji Mingcheng recognized it—it was popular at the military academy, and he was quite high-level himself.

"Sure, I’ll play with you. I'm a beast at this game. When are you streaming?"

"Tomorrow night," Yu Xin replied.

Ji Yixing, listening, suddenly spoke up: "How about taking me along too?"

"Uncle, do you even have time to play games? Even if you do, can you even play? This is a young person's game—you probably haven’t tried it," Ji Mingcheng said bluntly.

"Shut up," Ji Yixing brushed him off, turning to Yu Xin with a different tone: "Yu Xin, I’m not very good at this game. Can you carry me and help me rank up?"

How could Yu Xin refuse a request from his benefactor? "Of course, I'll carry you, no problem, Brother Ji."

He sent a message to Cheng Zikun informing him he’d be bringing two others. Cheng Zikun had no issue with it, so Yu Xin posted an announcement on his streaming platform.

Ash: Tomorrow at 8 PM, squad mode. See you there.

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Author's Note: General Ji: Streamer gege, can you carry me and help me rank up? (acting delicate) (tugging at clothes)

Sorry, I’ve been really stuck lately… Starting tomorrow, I’ll work hard to catch up, wuwu.