Chapter 11: Don’t Be Sad, My Purity Is Still Intact

Chapter 11: Don't Worry, I'm Still Innocent

Li Wuya—this person is just too useful.

He's practically a human scarecrow. Walking with him through the White Tower, guides automatically give you a ten-foot buffer!

Stepping out of the White Tower unscathed, feeling the long-lost warmth of the sun, Qin Shu got all teary-eyed.

"I should've brought you along from the start. You don't even know how crazy they messed with me in there." Qin Shu complained.

"But you didn't bring me."

"You were pretty busy today, yeah?"

"You can't trust those news media reports. You can come find me directly."

"That was—huh?"

Qin Shu suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Li Wuya, as always, showed no expression, but why does Qin Shu feel like he's getting a resentful vibe?

Probably seeing things, right?

"'That was' what?"

"Uh..."

The guy in uniform leaned in a little closer, dropping his head like a good boy, just a breath apart.

"A Shu, your stuff is always top priority. I really want to help you out, so please, give me this chance."

"Next time you get in this kind of trouble, you gotta tell me, okay?"

Qin Shu seemed to melt into the sunlight. He smiled, took off his own hat, and pressed it onto Li Wuya's head, catching a whiff of mint.

"Definitely, I'll definitely come to you next time," he said, stroking Li Wuya's face. "Don't be so serious."

Li Wuya was startled, looked away, flustered, and tried to fix his face.

Qin Shu added solemnly, "You're making it sound like I lost my honor."

"..."

A long silence followed.

"It's not that serious," Li Wuya gave a cold laugh. "Just that two hundred and thirty-nine gay dudes proposed to me all at once."

Proposed? Two hundred and thirty-nine gay dudes?!

Qin Shu was hit by the horror way too late, and threw himself onto Li Wuya, fake-crying: "Gay guys are terrifying! I never want to come to the White Tower again!"

Li Wuya wrapped his arms around him: "Right, never come to the White Tower again."

And there won't be another chance to come.

-

There was nothing more to do today, so Qin Shu planned to follow Li Wuya back to the Military Affairs Bureau.

For some reason, playing on the terminal just feels better when he's with his bro.

But...

"Wuya, why did you drive me to your place?" he asked, staring blankly at the imposing mansion before him.

So we're not going to work?

Li Wuya pulled him out of the car. "To get you a change of clothes."

Huh?

Ten minutes later.

Qin Shu had his beloved tactical suit stripped off and was dressed in a shirt, jacket, and trousers.

He watched as Li Wuya slowly picked out a shiny tie clip, fastened it to his collar, then selected a watch that looked especially expensive and slipped it onto his wrist.

That wasn't the end. Finally, Li Wuya knelt on one knee to tie his shoelaces—

This was going too far! Why was his buddy kneeling for him?

Qin Shu executed a tactical retreat, dodging Li Wuya's grand kneeling gesture.

"Wuya, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Li Wuya replied, "Putting together an outfit you can wear out."

Qin Shu: ?

Was his beloved tactical suit really that unsightly? It was standard gear for every Sentinel!

Come to think of it, the doctor who examined him today had said something similar. What was it?

Something like, "Don't come to the White Tower dressed like this."

For some reason, when Li Wuya heard him mention this, his expression turned even more rigid and cold.

"Wearing that really is too flashy," he finally blurted out.

Qin Shu looked at himself in the mirror. The shirt had some inexplicable dark patterns, the platinum tie clip was fastened to the shirt placket, and the watch was a deep navy blue.

"Wearing this is way more over-the-top," Qin Shu complained.

Li Wuya ignored him, pinned a brooch on his chest, put a few bracelets on his wrist, and before Qin Shu could refuse, dragged him out the door.

The road was bathed in bright sunlight, flowers swayed, and servants coming and going would respectfully greet him as "Duke" and "Mr. Qin."

Li Wuya's home was enormous and incredibly luxurious, a noble estate passed down from long ago. Its current permanent residents included Li Wuya and an elderly uncle-in-law who was half in the grave.

As for Li Wuya's other family members...

Well, the Li family cemetery was a bit larger than the estate.

But that was fine. It was better that the Li family was dead.

Back then, they had abandoned a defenseless, unarmed Li Wuya alone on the front lines. If Qin Shu hadn't shown up, that good buddy of his would have died right there!

So when he heard that Li Wuya was returning to the capital after the war...

Qin Shu raised both hands in support!

"Make sure you take me with you!" Qin Shu had said at the time.

When your bro starts a team, what else is there to say? He had to jump in right away!

The shock and joy on Li Wuya's face back then were unmistakable.

He grabbed Qin Shu's hand tightly: "You're really willing to come back to the capital with me? Thank you, I'll protect you, I'll definitely protect you..."

Qin Shu's eyes teared up: "You're welcome, Wuya, it's the least I can do. But could you let go of my hand? I just broke it."

"..."

Thinking back, Qin Shu thought it was funny.

Now the two were sitting in the car. Li Wuya set the coordinates for the Military Affairs Bureau as the destination, then slowly turned to him: "What are you laughing at?"

So Qin Shu briefly told him what he remembered.

He slung an arm over his friend's shoulder: "Wuya, back then I said I was coming to help you get revenge, so why did you latch onto me coming to the capital?"

"..." Li Wuya was silent for a moment. "I didn't expect you to come with me."

The universe was vast, and the empire only occupied a corner. Qin Shu had a free-spirited nature, while the capital was a prison for freedom.

"Who else would I go with if not you?" Qin Shu asked, puzzled.

"Without me, you might have already traveled an eighth of the universe."

But now he could only be stuck on the capital planet, looking up at this small patch of sky.

Qin Shu tilted his head, his slender fingers resting on the side of Li Wuya's neck.

A cool thread of spiritual energy spread out slightly, giving Li Wuya a bit of stimulation and clarity.

"It's that inexplicable sense of indebtedness again." He playfully pinched a bit of skin.

"You can never explore the whole universe—today this galaxy, tomorrow that one. It sounds free, but isn't wandering aimlessly just drifting?"

"Trust me, helping you get revenge and staying by your side are way more interesting than wandering."

Li Wuya went quiet.

The car fell quiet, and Qin Shu looked at him.

He sat upright, perfectly calm, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Qin Shu poked him, but there was still no reaction.

Qin Shu was shocked and grabbed his cheeks: "No way, Li Wuya, I just said something so touching, and you have no response?"

Li Wuya slowly turned his head, taking Qin Shu's outstretched hand: "No, I'm touched."

His lips brushed against Qin Shu's fingertips, while struggling to suppress the urge to bite down.

"I'm touched," he repeated.

"Please don't ever leave, okay? There are so many things I want to do with you. I really need you. Though, I have nothing to give you..."

Qin Shu was dumbfounded: "Didn't you give me this outfit?"

And the money you sent over, the meals you delivered, the car, the house, the holographic pod, the game controller... the more he thought about it, the more freaked out he got! Was he basically being kept by his bro?

But Li Wuya kept going, "None of that matters."

None of this is enough to spark desire in you. You still haven't truly seen me, haven't needed me...

Greed and self-loathing swelled and surged together, only to be sliced and crushed by Qin Shu's self-proclaimed "soothing" psychic energy. Silence was what Li Wuya did best.

When he wanted to kill, he stayed silent. When he wanted to end himself, he stayed silent. And when he wanted to kiss, even more so.

He couldn't voice most things, even though Qin Shu always forgave him.

Whether it was forcing Qin Shu to rely on him for every daily need, or luring him to the capital, or countless lies and deceptions...

And so much more—things already done and things yet to be done.

He was always in his debt, and Qin Shu always forgave.

But at this point, could anyone expect Li Wuya to turn back? Every bit of Qin Shu's devotion and trust only tempted Li Wuya to stay true to his own desires.

Revenge? What was that ever?

Ever since he met Qin Shu, he had stopped caring about it. He was grateful for that turn of events.

Later, when he killed them all, it was only because those people got in the way of "that thing" he wanted to do.

The friend in front of him looked worried and touched his forehead—a warm touch.

Li Wuya meekly looked down and started another topic.

"Back at the White Tower, what exactly did He Yunyan say to you?"

-

It was a good habit to distract himself when upset, and Qin Shu let the topic turn from the past to work.

He even went into detail, and Li Wuya listened quietly, finally summarizing: "He urged you to get married."

Qin Shu was angry: "Right, that meddling old matchmaker!"

"I got urged to marry today too."

Qin Shu was astonished: "You get pressured into tying the knot too?"

He thought all the elders who could urge Li Wuya to marry were dead!

Li Wuya glanced at him: "Her Majesty the Empress is also my elder. There are many people in the palace and court older than me."

Oh, right. They were about the same age, so of course Li Wuya would also be pushed to settle down.

And Li Wuya's marriage would definitely carry far more weight than a nobody like Qin Shu, given his high position and important role.

"So you don't have to go on a blind date with a gay guy too, do you?"

Li Wuya looked at him: "I hope that never happens."

Qin Shu nodded: "Right, better not."

Otherwise, Qin Shu was a bit worried for that gay guy's safety.

As they chatted about everything under the sun, the car slowly came to a stop—they had arrived at the Military Affairs Bureau.

Qin Shu got out of the car first.

A young sentinel in a Military Affairs Bureau uniform happened to pass by. The moment he saw Qin Shu, he froze on the spot.

What, stunned by my handsome looks?

Out of the corner of his eye, Qin Shu caught a glimpse of the dark blue watch on his wrist and belatedly realized that Li Wuya had dressed him in a very flashy outfit.

A little embarrassed, he smiled at the young sentinel.

But to his surprise, the young sentinel sprang up like a rabbit and bolted away.

Behind him, Li Wuya pressed a hand on his shoulder.

"..."

Qin Shu rubbed his chin. "Did I dress too expensively and scare him off?"

Li Wuya: "Yeah."

————

Anonymous forum on the military's internal network

"[Oh my god] did you all see that?"

": Saw it. I saw it with both of my eyes."

......

"————This post has been locked————"