Chapter 22: Day One of Being a Gay Man (with Forum Posts)

Chapter 22: My First Day as a Gay Man (with Forum Post)

Qin Shu was facing a group of his team members who were crying and throwing a huge fit.

"Can you knock it off?" he said, arms crossed.

The blond covered his face with his hands, crouching on the windowsill: "I don't believe you actually got married! If the captain doesn't tell me the truth, I'll jump off the building!"

"I'll jump too!" Bob (the girl with the bob haircut) and Little Fang both raised their hands.

A man with glasses said nothing, and had already climbed onto the windowsill.

Qin Shu was genuinely losing it: "Glasses, what are you jumping in on?!"

The man with glasses was the intelligence officer, originally the most level-headed member of the team.

He said gloomily: "I've already resolved to die."

Qin Shu pulled the two down and locked the window tight.

The group of team members looked at him pleadingly.

He was helpless against these little idiots—they had been crying and making a scene all morning, taking advantage of Qin Shu's guilt to keep yelling!

He ran a hand through his hair: "Why doesn't anyone believe we actually got married? Is my acting really that bad? I deliberately wore this floral shirt today."

Qin Shu admired his perfect outfit.

This was the gayest piece of clothing he owned.

The blond was confused: "Does a floral shirt have some special meaning?"

Little Fang: "So the captain didn't actually wear the wrong shirt today?"

Qin Shu: ?

It seemed no one understood his gay outfit. Is this the cultural gap between someone from the interstellar age and a modern person?

The blond said sadly: "Captain, with the way you acted yesterday, I thought you were about to go on a secret mission."

Little Fang: "We've been waiting for the captain to call us to handle the cleanup."

"Joking around is one thing, but this is real..."

"In short, none of us believe the captain actually got married."

"Li Wuya isn't even a woman," Bob sneered.

Qin Shu: ...

Alright, to be honest, he was indeed a little sad about it. A little.

He could get married for his buddy's sake, but it was an indisputable fact that his marriage partner was a man.

He felt that in the marriage market, no woman would want a guy whose first marriage was to a man.

The man with glasses stared at him intently: "You just said 'acting,' Captain. So you and he were really just putting on a show?"

Qin Shu: ...

He said solemnly: "No wonder the Marshal always said I'm not fit for intelligence work."

Everyone looked at him earnestly.

In the end, he relented.

"It's classified. Don't leak it," Qin Shu said helplessly. "It really is a marriage of convenience. Maybe after everything is over..."

Everyone cheered!

Qin Shu also breathed a sigh of relief. He felt his straight reputation had been preserved a little. He declared seriously: "Although Wuya and I are in a marriage of convenience, I still like girls. Do you understand?"

Everyone nodded frantically.

It was good that he liked girls! Liked flowers, grass, kittens, puppies—anything was better than liking Li Wuya!

"By the way, there's a wedding banquet in a few days. Remember to come and support me, and also help with security."

He had no idea what Wuya was thinking, but invitations had even been sent to those brothers on the border.

If they actually showed up, what difference would this wedding banquet be from a free-for-all arena fight?

Qin Shu was already thinking about whether he could just show up in his tactical gear... oh wait, no, to attend the banquet.

"Leave it to us!"

-

The captain had strictly ordered them not to leak the fact that it was a marriage of convenience, especially not to let it slip in front of outsiders. So the team members were now all very serious.

Little Fang stared blankly out the window.

Bob sat gloomily in the corner.

The blond wiped his tears while writing something.

Such a mournful atmosphere made the director of the Star Union Agency, who had just walked into the First Squad office, break out in a sweat.

He moved closer to see what the blond was writing.

The title was two big words: "Last Will."

He was shocked: "Comrade, Colonel Qin just got married—he hasn't died! Don't be so pessimistic!"

The blond sobbed: "Captain, take me with you!"

The black-haired sentinel in the floral shirt opened the door irritably: "Huang Sanqi, what are you yelling about—"

"Director?"

The director adjusted his expression and came over with a smile.

"Xiao Qin, I never thought this day would come so fast."

Hang in there, Qin Shu. Act the part of a gay man!

That was what he thought, but with his terrible acting, Qin Shu just let out a deep "mm."

"I know you young people are into this, flash marriage, right?" The director chuckled and handed him a piece of paper. "Now you can fill out this marriage registration form."

"..."

Qin Shu hadn't expected to fill it out so quickly either.

He stiffly took the form.

The director patted his shoulder: "Word is, at the imperial palace meeting today, your spouse really pissed off the Marshal. Find time to visit the Marshal at the military headquarters—he's been talking about you lately."

Your other half...

Qin Shu hid his awkwardness behind a blank expression: "I'll go when I get a chance."

...Come to think of it, why does the atmosphere feel so gloomy today?

Qin Shu scanned the office.

The group that had been joking around just moments ago was now pretending to cry, pretending to mope, and pretending to write suicide notes.

The director patted his shoulder again: "Xiao Qin, do you need us to arrange psychological counseling for your First Brigade?"

"No need," Qin Shu gritted his teeth, "Just beat them up and it'll be fine."

I told you to put on an act, not to be this creepy!

The director left half-doubtful, turning back every few steps, until he suddenly remembered something at the door.

"Xiao Qin, be careful when you go out. At least fifty outsiders tried to sneak into the Star Union Agency today—luckily, Chen Shu from the Security Department is a martial arts master; they've all been sent to detention."

"..."

What the hell? Trespassing into the police station? How is that different from turning themselves in?

Qin Shu rubbed the bridge of his nose: "I'd also like to know—why does everyone care so much about me just getting married?"

The director only silently patted his shoulder in response.

-

The anonymous forum on the military intranet.

"[Enter] Funny, right? I'm just a desperate young sentinel.

Topic: Funny, right? I'm just a desperate young sentinel."

": Funny, right? I'm just a desperate young sentinel.

...

Qin Shu, about to clock out, suddenly furrowed his brow and looked out the window.

The trees outside were towering—this was the sixth floor.

A head appeared upside down in the dense leaves:

"Brother Shu! You have to be happy! If you're well, over seven thousand brothers in the military are willing to be your backup for life!"

The voice was so loud it echoed through the valley, endlessly.

Qin Shu: ?

He didn't even bother with his bag; he ran, leaped onto the windowsill, plunged into the tree, and swiftly yanked out that damned little sentinel from the leaves.

Round eyes, curly hair, a face full of determination.

Qin Shu gnashed his teeth: "I've only been gay for a day—where did seven thousand backups come from?!"

-

Although Qin Shu wasn't great at stealth, he was fast enough.

On the way, he ran into many sentinels, guides, officials, and media trying to block him, but he dodged them all with ease.

He made it home safely, played a few hours of games, and finally felt like himself again.

Opening his terminal, he saw a flood of unread messages, mostly from border comrades who kept questioning the reality of his marriage.

Qin Shu had always wondered: why did everyone react so strongly to him just getting married?

He had always looked forward to being in a relationship—back then, everyone was still wishing him well, saying he'd find a girl who understood him.

Except Li Wuya wasn't a girl.

Just thinking about it stung a little!

Looking out the window at the pitch-black night, a message notification blinked.

"L51: Have you eaten?"

Oh, he forgot to eat.

He grabbed a nutrient bar and bit into it as he replied.

"Homophobic, no hookups, don't call 7432: Eating now."

"L51: Then forget it, I'll come back to cook for you."

The door opened, and Li Wuya walked in, carrying some vegetables and meat.

He turned on the light.

The room instantly lit up.

The black-haired young man in loungewear, with messy hair sticking up at the back, was half-leaning on the sofa, tilting his head to look at him.

His eyes narrowed slightly, a warm gleam in them: "Wuya?"

"Yeah, what do you want to eat?" Li Wuya smiled.

"Did you kill someone? I smell blood."

"I've turned over a new leaf—I just got thrown in a cell."