Chapter 25 A Kiss, Is That Okay?

Chapter 25: How About a Kiss?

Mo Qi was in a foul mood, and when he was unhappy, someone was bound to suffer.

In Mo Qi's estimation, while those men were certainly an eyesore, the fellow who brought them was even more so. He recalled the man had a rather peculiar name—something like… Bian Tai.

Bian Tai, Bian Tai—he truly was a pure pervert!

A ridiculous name, doing despicable deeds.

Mo Qi was never one to tolerate injustice, so he instantly focused his spiritual sense and launched an attack on the man's mind.

Back when Mo Qi was the Demon Lord, he often dealt with those who displeased him in this manner; it was second nature to him.

However, his opponent, this Bian Tai fellow, was no formidable cultivator, merely a Level 1 Superhuman. How could he possibly withstand such an assault?

Almost immediately, Bian Tai felt a splitting headache, staggered, and collapsed to his knees.

There was nothing dignified about his state, but Bian Tai couldn't care less; he felt as though he'd never experienced such pain in his life. A few seconds later, he repeatedly slammed his head against the ground before falling motionless.

He appeared to have passed out.

Observing this reaction, Mo Qi couldn't quite discern whether the man had been knocked unconscious by his spiritual sense attack or by his own forceful head-banging.

Regardless of the cause, Mo Qi was indifferent. In his view, this was already a very lenient punishment.

To those around, however, it seemed Bian Tai had suddenly gone mad, startling everyone. They couldn't comprehend how this seemingly possessed performance had occurred.

Especially the men he had brought along—they looked around in terror, fearing an attack from some unknown mutated creature or Superpower.

Mo Xiu frowned at the sight. He had been formulating an excuse to refuse, and now the man had simply fainted?

Though he didn't know why, it certainly saved him a lot of trouble.

Turning to the other bewildered men, Mo Xiu waved them off. "Alright, all of you, leave now."

"Leave?"

Hearing Mo Xiu's words, the men exchanged glances. They had been briefed beforehand and clearly understood their purpose in coming.

Even though Bian Tai had fainted for some unknown reason, if they simply left, how would they explain it to the Deputy Base Director?

More importantly, most of these men lacked any particular skills, relying on their looks to get by. They had finally found an opportunity to attach themselves to a powerful patron—how could they let it slip away so easily?

Before coming, they had all heard from Xu Liang that the man opposite them was a dual-element Superhuman with thunder and wind abilities, possessing a limitless future.

Moreover, he treated his 'lover' exceptionally well. If they could follow him, they would surely live a good life at Mountain River Base.

However, seeing his obvious lack of interest in them, they couldn't help but hesitate. Could it be that none of them were to his liking?

Bian Tai's fainting had caught them off guard, leaving them unsure how to proceed.

Only one man, Xie Wu, seemed to act without much deliberation. He stepped forward decisively and said to Mo Xiu, "Brother Mo, I don't want to leave. Can I stay with you?"

As he spoke, the man smoothed his hair and looked at Mo Xiu expectantly.

Xie Wu possessed a naturally delicate and refined appearance—fair-skinned, somewhat androgynous, with a gentle voice. Perhaps because of this, his face seemed particularly fragile.

So, even without deliberately exploiting his advantages or adopting a pitiable expression, he appeared softer and more likely to evoke sympathy than the others.

Were it anyone else facing him, they might have felt a pang of reluctance.

Unfortunately, standing opposite Xie Wu was Mo Xiu, whose heart had long grown cold after countless pursuits and life-or-death struggles in his previous life.

As for Mo Qi beside him, he was the Demon Lord who had transmigrated from the cutthroat, strength-worshipping cultivation world.

Thus, faced with the man's demeanor, neither of them so much as blinked.

Only Cheng Cheng felt sorry for him, but the poor fellow had no say in the matter; pity was useless.

However, after Xie Wu stepped forward, the other men also expressed their desire to stay with Mo Xiu and not leave.

"No, I don't keep idlers here!" Mo Xiu declared coldly.

Hearing this, Xie Wu gritted his teeth, glanced at Bian Tai, who was still inexplicably sprawled on the ground, and decided to plead again to be allowed to stay.

Before the apocalypse, Xie Wu had been a veterinarian. Through his efforts, he had opened a small clinic. Though he didn't earn much, he was happy and content doing the work he loved and being around adorable animals.

Then one day, the apocalypse suddenly arrived, and everything changed.

Xie Wu rushed home in a panic, only to find his family had already turned into zombies. They lunged at him mindlessly, trying to tear into his flesh. Xie Wu could only flee in terror.

Suppressing his grief, he found a group of survivors and, after enduring countless hardships, finally reached Mountain River Base.

But even here, as an ordinary person without Superpowers, though he was in decent physical shape, living well wasn't easy.

Poor housing, poor food—as long as he could survive, Xie Wu could endure it all. He had always believed that as long as he was alive, there was hope—the apocalypse would end someday.

But what he couldn't bear was that some time ago, he had unexpectedly caught the eye of this guy named Bian Tai.

Ever since their chance encounter that day, the man had been harassing him, threatening and pressuring him to submit.

Bian Tai had a notorious reputation, and Xie Wu knew all too well what happened to those who followed him.

He didn't want to suffer such humiliation but also knew his own strength was insufficient to resist. So when he learned about Mo Xiu, he took the initiative to join the group midway.

He thought that if Mo Xiu and his lover truly had such a good relationship, as long as he could stay, Mo Xiu might not do anything to him. He could pull his weight and seek protection.

With Mo Xiu as a barrier, Bian Tai wouldn't find it so easy to target him.

So, when the others hesitated upon hearing Mo Xiu say he didn't keep idlers, Xie Wu alone refused to back down.

He looked Mo Xiu squarely in the eye and said earnestly, "I'm willing! I can work, I can do many things. Please don't send me away!"

Cheng Cheng, seeing Xie Wu like this, felt even more sympathetic.

He couldn't help but stammer softly to Mo Qi, "Brother, look, can't we really keep him? He seems so pitiful…"

As soon as Cheng Cheng finished speaking, Mo Qi shot him a sharp glare, and he immediately fell silent.

Cheng Cheng internally: Wahhh, the boss is so fierce!

Mo Qi's expression was dark as thunder, but Mo Xiu—though initially annoyed—noticed Mo Qi glaring at Cheng Cheng and suddenly felt much better, even inexplicably amused.

"You all need to think carefully. If you stay, I absolutely won't let you freeload, and there will be no free rides or easy handouts.

I don’t know if you’ve seen the people in my team before we arrived at the Mountain River Base, but back then I made them do all the hardest and most exhausting work. Moreover, whenever they went out to forage for goods, they had to hand everything over to me.

If you stay here, life here might be tougher than what you’re used to."

Mo Xiu dropped the niceties. He knew very well that these people wanted to rely on him just to live a comfortable life. But if staying ended up making things worse, who would still be willing?

Sure enough, just as Mo Xiu had expected, the others hesitated after hearing this.

Only Xie Wu, who had spoken up first, stood his ground and nodded firmly, saying, "I’m willing! As long as I can stay, I’ll do anything!"

This time, Mo Xiu was taken aback. What had Xu Liang offered this guy to make him so determined? Even after hearing all this, he still wanted to stay.

After careful consideration, two of the five people hesitated because of Mo Xiu’s words, but the other two, seeing Xie Wu’s determination, also said they’d stay.

One of them seemed bad at hiding his intentions. His gaze kept shifting between Mo Xiu and Mo Qi, as if weighing his options.

It seemed they also knew that Mo Qi was the ‘lover’ Xu Liang had mentioned, the one by Mo Xiu’s side.

Just by looking at Mo Qi, it was clear he was living well.

Not only was he dressed cleanly and comfortably, looking pampered, but the spot where he had been sitting earlier also had a large plate of fruit beside it.

It was worth noting that fresh fruit was a rare find in the apocalypse. Even superhumans couldn’t easily get their hands on it, much less regular folks like them.

If Mo Xiu could be so generous to his lover, perhaps if they stayed, they might also be able to live such a life someday.

So, these two also said they didn’t want to leave, just like Xie Wu. It seemed they were willing to roll the dice.

Mo Qi took in their expressions—it was clear they had quite a few ulterior motives.

Why was his meal ticket so popular? It was really annoying. But since they insisted on staying, Mo Qi couldn’t help but started scheming.

So, when he saw Mo Xiu frown and prepare to refuse again, he reached out and gave the younger man a pat on the shoulder, saying, "In that case, let those who want to stay, stay."

Meeting Mo Xiu’s surprised gaze, the man gave a reassuring smile.

"First, tell me, what are you good at?"

Hearing this, the two who stayed stammered, unable to give a straight answer. One of them even kept sneaking glances at Mo Xiu, which made Mo Qi scowl again.

"If you keep looking around like that, I’ll gouge your eyes out."

Mo Qi rarely acted so fierce in front of Mo Xiu. The aura he emitted in that moment scared the man with impure intentions so much that he didn’t dare look around again.

Mo Xiu could also sense his mood. Seeing that the man seemed genuinely angry, he even spoke faster than usual and gave his hand a soothing pat.

"If you don’t like them, just kick them out."

In Mo Xiu’s view, if they were truly willing to work hard, these young and strong individuals wouldn’t have agreed to come here in the first place, trying to leech off him.

However, after Mo Xiu finished speaking, Xie Wu spoke up eagerly and said, "I’m physically strong and have good stamina. I should be able to handle heavy labor and odd jobs. Just put me to work."

Cheng Cheng thought his attitude was good and even helped by asking, "What about cooking? Can you cook?"

Among the four of them now, they usually relied on Lu Pingwan for cooking and meals.

There was no need to even consider their boss—he didn’t cook at all. Although Mo Xiu could cook a little, his skills were really not great.

It wasn’t exactly awful, but aside from cooking noodles, nothing else tasted good.

As for Cheng Cheng himself, he had the desire to help and even tried once. But he nearly blew up the kitchen and was angrily chased out by Lu Pingwan. The usually gentle girl even gave him a hard smack on the head.

The lump on his head didn’t go away for two or three days.

He thought to himself that if this person could cook, he could stay and give Xiao Wan a hand.

Cheng Cheng had good intentions, and Xie Wu hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "I can cook a little too. I should be able to help."

Although in the past he usually ordered takeout or ate from convenience stores, he knew how to make cat and dog food—so that should probably count as cooking experience, right?

The other two, seeing Xie Wu being so proactive, also mentioned a few things they could do, but it was clear they were half-hearted.

Mo Xiu could naturally sense their differences. He took a closer look at the man who had stepped forward first to ask to stay and asked him, "What’s your name?"

"Xie Wu, my name is Xie Wu," Xie Wu hurriedly replied.

Hearing this name, Mo Xiu paused for a second.

Xie Wu—another familiar name. In his previous life at the Mountain River Base, he had heard of this person and even seen him a few times.

He remembered the first time he saw Xie Wu in his previous life, back when he had just arrived at the Mountain River Base.

At that time, Xie Wu was a far cry from his current appearance—disheveled, haggard, and beaten beyond recognition.

Back then, Mo Xiu was new and had no idea what was going on. It was only later, after hearing from the old-timers in the base, that he learned Xie Wu had been targeted by Bian Tai but stubbornly refused to yield—he was a tough nut to crack.

But how could an ordinary person hope to fight against a superhuman? Xie Wu had pissed off Bian Tai, which was why he ended up in that state.

After that, Mo Xiu didn’t hear much about Xie Wu. But a few months later, when he saw him again, the man had transformed.

By then, Xie Wu seemed to have recovered, wearing heavy makeup and looking strikingly glamorous. He was also quite favored by Bian Tai.

Not only that, but later Mo Xiu also heard that Xie Wu had shady relationships with many of Bian Tai’s friends.

At the time, Mo Xiu only felt sorry for him privately. But to his surprise, half a month later, this man managed to kill almost all those who had humiliated him.

According to rumors, one night, Xie Wu gathered those perverted scumbags together, claiming he wanted to play a big game.

Those people had no idea that Xie Wu had laced their drinks with a potent drug. That very night, many were poisoned to death. And whether dead or alive, all of them had their genitals cut off by Xie Wu.

Bian Tai was also poisoned, but he was lucky—he hadn’t drunk much that day. So although he was emasculated, he survived.

After that night, Xie Wu left the Mountain River Base and disappeared without a trace. No one knew where he went.

It seemed Xie Wu was quite a formidable character.

After all, in these times, many ordinary people fell into others’ hands and suffered. But very few managed to seize an opportunity to turn the tables, exact revenge, and escape unscathed.

Even though he now knew who this person was, Mo Xiu showed no reaction. He had long passed the stage of feeling overly sympathetic.

If it weren’t for Mo Qi agreeing, none of these three would have been allowed to stay.

But after the other two carried Bian Tai away, Mo Qi’s next words made Mo Xiu couldn’t help but laugh.

"You’ve all seen the vacant plot behind the apartment building, right?"

"I will divide that area into three equal parts, and by dawn tomorrow, you three must completely clear this plot of land. We are preparing to plant vegetables there."

Listening to Mo Qi's matter-of-fact words, Cheng Cheng blinked his eyes.

The empty plot of land below the apartment was quite large, and they were being asked to clear it by the next day with just the three of them.

Even ten strong young men might not be able to finish it.

This was truly treating people like beasts of burden, as if they wished to work them to death!

Mo Xiu’s lips curled slightly. Knowing what Mo Qi had in mind, he somewhat regretted not keeping the other two to help with the work.

Worst-case scenario, they could send them back after finishing, and perhaps even get more done.

The two of them thought along similar lines, and Mo Qi was calculating in his own mind.

Although Cheng Cheng’s Plant Superpower could trigger the seeds in his hands at any time, planting them in soil would yield better results. Not only would the harvest be greater, but the consumption of Superpower would also be significantly reduced.

Most importantly, fresh fruits and vegetables were very expensive now. After they cultivated more, they could use them to exchange for other supplies.

However, Mo Qi didn’t know when Mo Xiu would finish his revenge and leave the base. So even if they cleared the land, they wouldn’t know how long they could use it.

If these people hadn’t appeared, he wouldn’t have pushed such arduous work onto his own people.

Sure enough, after Mo Qi finished speaking, the other two out of the three people looked very unhappy, except for Xie Wu.

Xie Wu had been mentally prepared, knowing that staying wouldn’t be easy, but the other two were extremely unwilling.

Especially since they felt that once they stayed, they would be part of Mo Xiu’s group. Why should they listen to this pretty boy!

They are all Mo Xiu's 'favorites,' so even if you're an elder, why put on airs?

But before they could voice any objections, Mo Xiu spoke coldly, "Mo Qi's words are my words. If you don't listen, get out now."

With Mo Xiu having spoken, no matter how unwilling they were, they had no choice but to obediently head to the open space behind the apartment building. After all, how hard could it be to till a small plot of land?

Only when they arrived did they realize they had underestimated the task. Who could explain why such a large patch of wasteland existed behind an apartment located in the center of the base?

It seemed, though, that this area was likely originally intended as a landscaped viewing garden, now left abandoned.

Tilling such a large piece of land by tomorrow morning—wasn't that a joke?

They immediately imagined Mo Xiu raising objections. Only Xie Wu, however, first noted how late it was getting, and then asked Mo Xiu for tools.

Seeing that Mo Xiu didn’t have any professional tools on hand, Xie Wu went off to borrow some from others. Once he had them, he dug right into his work on his assigned section of land.

Seeing this, the other two had no choice but to reluctantly pitch in.

After assigning the tasks, Mo Qi washed his hands of it. He returned to his room, leisurely continued eating his fruit, and instructed Cheng Cheng to give him a massage.

Mo Xiu, on the other hand, ambled over to Mo Qi and said to Cheng Cheng beside him, "You can leave for now. There’s nothing for you to do here. Come back at dinnertime."

Cheng Cheng obediently left upon hearing this, leaving only Mo Xiu and Mo Qi in the room.

Mo Qi lazily sat in his chair, looked up at Mo Xiu, and gestured for him to spit it out.

"Did Bian Tai blacking out earlier have anything to do with you?" Mo Xiu asked.

He was only slightly suspicious. Although he didn’t think Mo Qi was behind it, the other did possess many mysterious abilities.

For instance, being unafraid of the zombification virus, or with a mere wave of the hand, paralyzing zombies and turning them into regular corpses.

It was precisely because Bian Tai's fainting was so suspicious that he felt compelled to ask Mo Qi, just to be safe.

He hadn't expected that after asking, Mo Qi would actually nod yes.

"It was really you? How did you do it!"

Mo Xiu stared at Mo Qi in amazement; he hadn't seen him do anything at all. It wasn't like back when they faced zombies, where at least a hand had to be raised.

So when exactly had he done it, and how? Just like that, he made Bian Tai faint, and before passing out, Bian Tai had looked to be in extreme pain.

What could he say? Of course, he had used his spiritual sense. But how could he explain his spiritual sense?

At first, Mo Qi hadn't been too concerned about these explanations, finding them merely troublesome. But now, trouble wasn't his primary concern anymore.

Most importantly, he didn't want Mo Xiu to hold any reservations or distrust toward him because of his transmigration or his past as a demonic cultivator.

After all, in this world, having a special superpower was one thing, but if someone's abilities completely surpassed their understanding and reached another level entirely, that was a different matter altogether.

Outsiders were always more likely to become targets of attack, and he didn't want Mo Xiu to guard against or even reject him because of this.

Just as Mo Qi was struggling to figure out how to explain, Mo Xiu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and exclaimed excitedly, "Could it be that you have a psychic superpower?"

If it were a psychic superpower, then everything would make sense.

Perhaps the other party had used psychic energy to destroy the zombies' brains earlier, rendering them immobile. As for Bian Tai, there was also a chance he had suffered a psychic attack from Mo Qi.

Seeing the blank look on the man's face after he said this, Mo Xiu patiently explained, "Psychic superpower means having extremely strong mental power, capable of launching psychic attacks on enemies.

Psychic attacks generally target the brain of the target. Some people with psychic superpowers can even use it for reconnaissance over a certain area—it's a very special and rare superpower.

Mo Qi, can you sense that very strong mental power?"

Attacking the brain? Reconnaissance coverage? Wasn't that exactly what his spiritual sense excelled at!

So, Mo Qi nodded at Mo Xiu.

Seeing the joy that spread across the other's face because of this, he felt like nodding a couple more times. He wanted to tell him that his psychic superpower was exceptionally powerful—certainly more so than any psychic superhumans Mo Xiu knew of.

Since spiritual sense and psychic superpower were so similar, why couldn't they be considered the same thing?

Perhaps the psychic superpower of people here was actually spiritual sense, just at a relatively lower level.

Unlike the powerful cultivators of the cultivation world, who could use spiritual sense for many things early on, such as placing spiritual sense marks, forming contracts, or controlling puppets.

Especially Mo Qi's spiritual sense, which had already reached the realm of ascension. If it weren't for the limitations of his physical body, no one here would be a match for him.

Thinking of this, Mo Qi felt a sense of pride.

So what if he was a demon cultivator in his past life? He wasn't just any demon cultivator—he was a demon, the strongest in the cultivation world!

None of those so-called righteous powerful cultivators were a match for him. Mo Xiu had truly struck gold by picking him up.

But as soon as this thought crossed his mind and he was about to boast, the sluggish pace of his speech made him clamp his mouth shut in annoyance.

This body was truly too lame. Even though he could finally control it now and avoid people thinking he's an idiot anymore...

But to outsiders, with his reaction speed like that, even if he's not dumb, he's certainly not quick-witted. It's truly frustrating just thinking about it.

Mo Xiu didn't know what the man was thinking inside. Seeing that he didn't seem particularly happy after being told he had Psychic Superpower, he assumed he just didn't understand how powerful it was.

"Great, Mo Qi, you actually have Psychic Superpower! Do you know how incredible that is? This means you'll be much safer now."

Psychic Superpower is one of the rarest abilities in the post-apocalyptic world. Initially, people weren't even aware of its existence.

After all, level-one Psychic Superpower might only seem to make one's mind a bit clearer, not that different from ordinary people.

At least in his previous life, during the years Mo Xiu stayed at Mountain River Base, Psychic Superpower hadn't been discovered yet.

It wasn't until later, after he was framed and left the base to flee all over, that a few high-level Psychic Superhumans began to appear sporadically.

But it has to be said, each of them became key figures in their respective bases.

It's said that if the level of Psychic Superpower is high enough, it can even shield Superhumans from zombies' detection, allowing them to move through hordes of zombies as if through unoccupied territory.

From this perspective, Mo Qi's Psychic Superpower must be at least above level one.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to attack Bian Tai's brain and cause him such headache and unconsciousness.

"Mo Qi, I didn't expect you to be so powerful. It seems you have great talent—you might even be a genius!"

Mo Xiu said with a smile. He found that the more time they spent together, the more interesting secrets he discovered about him. Mo Qi was like a treasure waiting to be uncovered.

But if Mo Qi had so many abilities, how did he end up in such a miserable state in his previous life?

Mo Xiu couldn't figure it out, but he had to admit that ever since they met after his rebirth, everything had been getting better.

Perhaps this was their fate—to come together in this new life and become each other's salvation.

"You must have used a lot of your Superpower earlier. Are you feeling unwell now?" Mo Xiu asked worriedly.

Mo Qi shook his head. Seeing the concerned look on the other person's face, his mood inexplicably lifted.

He moved closer and hugged him tightly, closing his eyes and burying his head in the crook of Mo Xiu's neck, savoring the intimate moment.

The close contact made the energy inside Mo Qi circulate much faster.

Every time he felt this change, Mo Qi found it magical, as if there were some higher-level bond between him and Mo Xiu that he couldn't see.

"Why are you hugging me all of a sudden?"

Mo Xiu chuckled softly, then gently hugged him back, instinctively ignoring the slight unease in his heart.

"I want to hug you. It feels good like this. My head doesn't hurt anymore, and I don't feel uncomfortable."

The man murmured, nuzzling against his neck, making Mo Xiu feel ticklish.

His smile widened unconsciously as he enjoyed this dependence.

He reached out and gently stroked his hair, saying softly, "You mean hugging me makes you feel better? Why are you so clingy?"

"Is that not allowed?" Mo Qi lifted his head to look at the young man.

Half-leaning on him, though he was slightly taller, he deliberately bent down, making an upward gaze playfully as he asked, "Can't I be clingy with you?"

"Of course you can." Mo Xiu answered without hesitation.

He reached out and affectionately ran his fingers through Mo Qi's hair, saying gently, "Your Psychic Superpower probably hasn't been awakened for long, and you're not very skilled at using it yet.

Why did you use it without assessing the situation? Does your head hurt now?"

As he spoke, he sat down with him in his arms, gently pressing the pressure points on his head to help relieve the pain.

Mo Qi took a deep breath, inhaling his pleasant scent, and nodded while holding him.

While enjoying his massage, he didn't forget to complain slowly.

"It's all because of that thing called Bian Tai. He brought those unimportant people here. I didn't like it!"

He just disliked him and wanted to teach him a lesson, so what?

Mo Qi thought to himself, his tone so matter-of-fact that Mo Xiu could only smile helplessly. It seemed he really hated Bian Tai, not even considering him human and directly calling him a "thing."

But he didn't expect Mo Qi to say he was unhappy because Bian Tai brought those people over.

Mo Xiu liked Mo Qi's frank way of expressing himself and was pleased by the possessiveness he showed.

Seeing Mo Qi unhappy, Mo Xiu indulged him almost unconditionally: "If you don't like him, then you don't like him. If he annoys you, it's definitely his fault.

But while it's fine to teach him a lesson if you dislike him, you shouldn't sacrifice your health for it."

"Don't worry, he won't live much longer."

Mo Xiu whispered, a flash of killing intent passing through his eyes at the thought of Bian Tai.

He had previously killed Ren Zha to vent his anger. Originally, he planned to deal with Bian Tai later, after finding the opportunities from his previous life and restoring some of his Superpower levels to act with more confidence.

But since he came to provoke Mo Qi and make him unhappy, he couldn't wait any longer.

Although it would be a bit troublesome, it was time to prioritize killing Bian Tai.

Thinking this, Mo Xiu looked at the man lazily clinging to him like a big cat and ruffled his hair again.

He didn't find it strange at all that someone his size was holding him tightly and leaning on him.

While continuing to massage Mo Qi, Mo Xiu closed his eyes and quietly thought about how to eliminate Bian Tai as soon as possible.

The two sat closely together on the sofa by the window.

The warm sunlight streaming in made Mo Qi squint. From his angle, through the apartment window, he could see the open space downstairs and the three people who had chosen to stay.

Looking out occasionally, Mo Qi mostly saw Xie Wu working diligently.

The other two had been slacking off from the start. Later, seeing Xie Wu working zealously, they reluctantly picked up the pace a bit, but they were still clearly less efficient than Xie Wu.

"Boss, Brother Mo, dinner's ready!" Cheng Cheng's voice came from the doorway, and Mo Qi withdrew his gaze upon hearing it.

Tonight's dinner was braised chicken with vermicelli, rice, and a large pot of stewed potatoes and eggplant.

They didn't have much oil, so they couldn't use too much oil for frying. Lu Pingwan had been steaming dishes lately and serving them with some seasoning.

But eating steamed food all the time would become monotonous. Fortunately, Cheng Cheng seemed very familiar with these stews from his hometown.

He noticed a large jar of sauce among the seasonings those people had brought and suggested to Xiao Wan that she try stewing some suitable vegetables with the sauce—it was sure to taste pretty good.

Because of that kitchen explosion last time, Xiao Wan was still a bit hesitant. But after some thought, she took Cheng Cheng's advice, and unexpectedly, the stew came out tasting amazing.

She copied Cheng Cheng by mixing the stewed eggplant and potatoes with rice, and ended up having another bowl.

The second-floor room was filled with the rich aroma of the meal, which drifted out through the window, wafted down to the two guys working below.

The baby-faced guy immediately started drooling, and said to Xie Wu, "Hey, let's go eat. We'll get back to work after."

Xie Wu didn't say anything, silently pulling a flatbread out of his pocket and sitting on a nearby rock to munch on it.

Seeing Xie Wu like this, the baby-faced man snorted, thinking the guy was an idiot, and hurried up to the second floor alone.

He had smelled the stewed chicken early on—it had been a long time since he'd had such a good meal, and today he was gonna feast for sure!

But when he finally got the door open, Cheng Cheng, standing at the entrance, just shot him a weird look and asked, "What are you doing up here?"

The baby-faced man's eyes automatically went toward the dining table inside. Standing at the door, the aroma of the food was even stronger.

He couldn't help but gulp, batting his big, innocent eyes and putting on a pitiful face as he said, "Well, it's time to eat. I came up to eat."

"Eat? Who told you food's included here? If you want to eat, whoever brought you here should be the one feeding you!" Cheng Cheng smoothly repeated the words Mo Qi had taught him, then slammed the door shut—bang!

Stranded outside, the baby-faced man stood there staring at the nearly door-slammed-in-his-face, so pissed he almost lost it!

Damn it, this wasn't anything like what Bian Tai had said.

After all, since arriving at the base, he had gotten a lot of perks thanks to his looks.

Bian Tai had also said that he knew how to please people, and that the dual-ability Superhuman was someone who cherished beauty and compassion. Surely, he could eventually replace that Mo Qi and become the other's favorite!

The baby-faced man thought working outside was just a test—as long as he put on a bit of an act and passed, life would get better afterward.

But who knew these people would actually treat him like a beast of burden!

Especially that Mo Xiu—he couldn't see any trace of "cherishing beauty and compassion" in him at all.

What's worse, after being here for so long and doing so much work, he hadn't even gotten a single meal!

Feeling that there was nothing more to gain by staying, the baby-faced man simply dropped his tools and ran off.

Only Xie Wu was left, silently and quickly finishing his flatbread in the backyard before throwing himself back into work.

After the meal, Mo Qi stood by the window. Seeing the man outside still working hard, he raised an eyebrow.

Through his spiritual sense, he could clearly see that the man's palms were already blistered and bleeding. Yet, despite that, he showed no intention of stopping.

Quite resilient.

Mo Qi silently assessed him but didn't do anything. After eating and drinking his fill, he comfortably lay down to rest.

But this time, as he lay there, some new thoughts emerged.

He had long known that close contact with Mo Xiu could double his cultivation speed. Holding each other, with more surface area in contact, seemed to make the effect even better.

What if they were even more intimate?

The thought of doubled cultivation speed made Mo Qi eager to try.

More importantly, if the person he was intimate with was Mo Xiu, he felt no resistance at all.

So when Mo Xiu finished washing up and sat by the bed, Mo Qi couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Hey, Mo Xiu, could you give me a kiss?"