Chapter 532: The Eighteenth Day of Transmigrating into an Interstellar World

Chapter 532: Day 18 in the Interstellar World

Time is like a quietly flowing river. Sometimes you feel it moves slowly, so slowly that every day feels like a repeat of yesterday. Sometimes you look back and realize it has already flowed far, far away—so far that you can no longer remember which day it was when that person's name became the most frequent word in your life.

After returning from the capital star, Xing Ruize really did start sending messages to An Yi frequently.

Every morning a "good morning," every night a "good night"—without fail, rain or shine. Sometimes he'd come back from a mission in the early hours, the time on his wristband already pointing to 3 AM, and he'd still send a "good night" before going to sleep.

In between, he'd occasionally sprinkle in little snippets—"Mission finished today." "Jiang Biao told another lame joke, nobody laughed, but he laughed at it himself for ages." "George says he misses you."

After sending that last one, he felt it wasn't appropriate.

George says he misses you—what did that even mean? Did it mean George missed An Yi, or was he using George's words to say he himself missed him too? Would An Yi think he was being too deliberate? Would An Yi think he was being weird?

He wanted to unsend it, but An Yi had already seen it, and then An Yi replied.

Xing Ruize stared at that tiny "new message" notification, his heartbeat skipping a beat.

He tapped it open and found it was a sticker—a smiley face, the simplest kind, a system-default one, a round yellow smiley face with curved eyes and a smile.

Xing Ruize stared at that smiley for a long time.

He raised his wristband to his eyes and studied every pixel of that sticker. What did that smile mean? Was An Yi amused by what Xing Ruize said, or was he smiling because George missed him? If he was amused by what Xing Ruize said, was it the words or the person that amused him? If it was because George missed him, then did An Yi have feelings for George too...

Xing Ruize turned this question over in his mind for an entire afternoon.

He thought about it during meetings, his pen moving aimlessly across the data pad without writing a single word. He thought about it during meals, not hearing Jiang Biao when he asked him something, only snapping out of it when Ma Zhiye nudged him with his elbow. He thought about it at night lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, his brow furrowed so deeply it could crush a fly.

In the end, he never figured it out, and he gave up thinking about it as night fell.

Not because he'd figured it out, but because morning had come.

But he kept sending messages. No matter what An Yi replied, he kept going.

An Yi's replies were still brief, but he replied to every single one without fail.

Xing Ruize sometimes wondered—did An Yi treat everyone like this? Did he treat George the same way? Did he treat Jiang Biao the same way? Was he this gentle with everyone, giving everyone such brief replies?

Then he thought again—whether or not An Yi treated everyone the same, at least he replied to Xing Ruize's messages.

That was enough for him.

George, on the other hand, still chatted with An Yi with great enthusiasm every day.

Sometimes he'd post screenshots of An Yi's replies in the group chat, chuckling as he shared them, bragging to Ma Zhiye: "Look, An Yi sent me this!"

Xing Ruize saw it every time.

He sat in the corner, reading each message carefully.

Then he looked down at his own chat window. An Yi's replies to him were still just a few words, very concise.

But he didn't feel disappointed, because what An Yi sent him was different from what An Yi sent George.

An Yi's replies to George were lively, the kind of liveliness you'd show a friend. But An Yi's replies to him were quiet, the kind of quiet that...

Xing Ruize thought for a long time and finally reached a conclusion he firmly believed: this meant An Yi trusted him more.

Because there was trust, there was no need for extra words. Because Xing Ruize knew An Yi would understand, there was no need for explanations. Because An Yi didn't have to maintain that enthusiastic facade in front of him, he could reply with just a single word.

Xing Ruize was very satisfied with this conclusion.

He also started making trips to the capital star every now and then.

Sometimes he'd use military mission opportunities—missions that only required one day, but he'd stretch it into three days. Sometimes he'd just go on his own, take leave, buy a ticket, and head over there.

He'd stay for as long as he could.

Even if An Yi was busy and he could only see him from a distance, he was willing.

As long as he could see An Yi, he was willing.

Once, An Yi was conducting tests in the lab, and Xing Ruize sat on the bench outside waiting for three hours. He just stared at the door for three hours.

He didn't feel bored or tired, just content.

Later, when An Yi came out and saw Xing Ruize was still there, he paused for a moment: "How long has the captain been waiting?"

Xing Ruize said, "I just arrived."

An Yi glanced at him but didn't call his bluff.

Because of his behavior, Jiang Biao and the others had already figured out how he felt.

That day, Jiang Biao pulled him aside and asked in a hushed voice, "Captain, do you like An Yi?"

Xing Ruize nodded without hesitation: "Yeah."

Jiang Biao opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end just patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright!" he said. "Captain, you've got this."

When Ma Zhiye and Cheng Hong found out, they didn't say anything, just exchanged a glance with George, then nodded.

Except for George.

The day George found out, he stared at Xing Ruize for a long time with a strange expression, a complex look in his eyes—surprise, then realization. Then George, without a word, turned and walked away.

The next day, George was back to normal, still the cheerful, lively George, still messaging An Yi every day, still laughing and bragging in the group chat what An Yi had replied to him.

Xing Ruize watched George and suddenly understood something—George actually had feelings for An Yi as well.

When this thought crossed his mind, Xing Ruize froze for a moment.

Then he thought again—after learning about Xing Ruize's feelings, George gave up so easily, which meant he wasn't that committed either.

So...

He wasn't the right one for An Yi!

Good thing he backed off!

It had to be Xing Ruize!

Xing Ruize was very satisfied with this conclusion too.