Chapter 25: I’m Going to Pick a Fight with Him

Chapter 25: I'm Gonna Pick a Fight with Him

Qin Shu could feel the rage burning inside him.

But the angrier he got, the calmer he looked on the surface, his spiritual power spreading coldly, pinning Li Wuya down so he couldn't move.

With one push, Qin Shu finally got off that damn chair.

Li Wuya scrambled to his feet, looking totally lost.

The more lost Li Wuya looked, the angrier Qin Shu got.

He grabbed Li Wuya by the collar, pressed his thumb to his forehead, and did the fastest spiritual cleansing ever.

He watched Li Wuya's mind snap from chaos to clarity, his pupils shrinking in panic, his hand reaching out to grab his.

Qin Shu stepped back.

His hand froze in midair.

The golden storage room: a black-haired man with his arms crossed, wedding ring glinting on his hand, decked out in a fancy black military uniform.

Head slightly tilted, medals gleaming on his chest, his usually jet-black eyes now cold and calm.

A look of detached withdrawal, cold and distant.

Qin Shu said, "I'll wait until you've calmed down."

The next second, he turned and walked out.

No, he hesitated for a second.

He took something off and tossed it over his shoulder.

The door opened, then slammed shut.

Clink—

Li Wuya watched the ring of authority roll to his feet.

-

Stepping out into the cold night, Qin Shu felt like he'd calmed down a little.

For exactly two seconds.

Damn it! I'm so pissed!

Qin Shu scrubbed his lips hard.

What the hell did Li Wuya mean by that? What was he thinking?!

The annoyance of being played, the rage of being lied to, the sheer absurdity of seeing Li Wuya so pathetic.

A thousand thoughts boiled down to one:

Li Wuya is gay, and he's into me—why the hell didn't he say so earlier?!

Qin Shu turned and stormed off, then stopped after a few steps.

He suddenly stomped his foot, cracking a brick in half, and gritted his teeth as he marched back!

-

At the entrance to the banquet hall, he ran into Zuo Chou.

The second Zuo Chou saw Qin Shu, he pretty much knew what was up.

Anger crackled between them, and Zuo Chou said quietly, "Little Shuer, looks like things didn't go well when you two stepped out?"

"..."

"From the look on your face, it's gotta be 'a serious problem.'"

Qin Shu looked away.

"Did he lie to you, or let you down?" Zuo Chou studied Qin Shu's face, confirmed it was both, his chest heaving as he drew his sword and turned to leave.

Qin Shu stopped him, grabbing his friend's shoulder and leading him into the banquet.

After years of friendship, Zuo Chou knew Qin Shu inside out. He froze for half a second, then was so pissed he felt like his soul was splitting.

"You're still gonna help him play out this charade?!"

Qin Shu said coldly, "It's not about who he is. I hate being a liar."

-

Twenty minutes after leaving, Qin Shu walked back into the banquet hall, with an icy-faced Zuo Chou by his side.

They went straight to where the legion commanders were gathered.

That circle of high-ranking sentinels instantly perked up like wolves catching the scent of blood, surrounding the black-haired sentinel in his fancy getup.

Then came the whispers.

You could hear blades being drawn and sheathed, or the "click" of safety catches being flicked off. Someone was smiling and chatting, while the hand behind their back had already crushed the edge of the table.

The already tense atmosphere in the banquet hall dropped to below freezing.

No matter what anyone was thinking, all eyes were on Qin Shu.

Qin Shu, a completely different person from before he left, stood with his arms crossed, no emotion on his face, listening coldly to the whispers around him.

At one point, he looked up and saw Her Majesty the Empress approaching with a smile.

What was she saying? Fancy social niceties, with keywords like "newlyweds," "toast," "left in a rush"...

Qin Shu bowed distractedly: "Your Majesty, may you be well. If you have any questions, it'd be better to let Li Wuya answer."

The Empress didn't push it, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and left.

Zuo Chou sneered quietly, "Does Li Wuya really have the nerve to show his face?"

Qin Shu said offhandedly, "Of course he'll come."

How could Li Wuya dare to leave without seeing his reaction with his own eyes?

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Huaicheng clicked the safety on his pistol again.

The hall grew even quieter, the sound of military boots echoing on the floor tiles.

Re-entering, Li Wuya was dressed in a pristine white military uniform, his cap brim low, his epaulets straight, impeccable.

He walked straight toward Qin Shu, still with his usual stride, as if nothing had happened.

Qin Shu suddenly crooked his finger.

Li Wuya quickened his pace, but someone was faster than him.

A golden-haired man in a security uniform sprinted over, sliding to a halt and saluting: "Captain, what can I do for you, Captain?"

Qin Shu patted the golden-haired man's head: "Go tell Deputy Sun Yi that I have something to take care of and I'm leaving first."

Goldie: "Got it, Captain!"

Goldie saluted again, then took off to find Sun Yi—Li Wuya's deputy, who was busy schmoozing with the officials.

The distance spanned the banquet hall, naturally passing through where Li Wuya stood, but he didn't even glance his way.

...

Li Wuya adjusted his cap, about to head over, but Qin Shu strode over with that damn Zuo Chou.

So he stopped, watching Qin Shu get closer and closer.

And brush right by him.

Those star-bright eyes looked right through him.

-

Outside the banquet hall, a night breeze stirred.

Qin Shu let out a long breath, and Zuo Chou immediately grinned.

"You said you'd buy me a drink—I want it tonight, no backing out!"

"Relax, when have I ever flaked?" Qin Shu smiled too. "Tonight it is."

Zuo Chou cheered, then fake-worried: "Just ditching Yu Huaicheng like that? What if he blows the banquet hall up?"

Qin Shu's smile dropped: "Li Wuya invited him, so that's Li Wuya's problem."

Zuo Chou was touched: "You'd never have said that before today."

"What would I have said?"

Zuo Chou coughed twice, mimicking his voice: "Wuya's problem is my problem."

"..."

Qin Shu's face went dark.

He kicked Zuo Chou's ass: "Keep being a smartass, and you're not getting a free meal!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

-

They ended up at this quiet little bar.

The place was empty, and the owner was an old guy in a wheelchair. He didn't bat an eye at Qin Shu's fancy outfit.

They slid into a small booth in the back, and Zuo Chou asked curiously: "How'd you find this place?"

"I didn't," Qin Shu said, opening a bottle of wine. "The owner is the grandpa of an old army buddy of mine."

"I wanted to help him spread the word, but he said no—wanted to keep it quiet. But he told me I could come anytime, so I stop by every now and then to see if there's anything I can help with, and get some peace and quiet myself."

"...Zuo Chou, what's wrong with you?"

Zuo Chou hid his face: "Shu-ge is too nice, I'm gonna cry!"

"Get outta here."

Where the hell did 'Shu-ge' even come from? Every time he heard it, it gave him the creeps!

He poured two glasses, slid one to Zuo Chou and took a sip from his own.

The dim light softened his features.

His dress uniform coat was already unbuttoned, his collar loosened, he was relaxed, shadows and light playing across him, a hazy look in his eyes.

Qin Shu had a lot of sides—amped up on the battlefield, chill in private, joking around with his buddies—but he was rarely down, rarely lost.

Those weren't words that fit Qin Shu.

They had a few more drinks in silence.

Zuo Chou asked: "What did Li Wuya do when he pulled you out of the banquet hall?"

Qin Shu finally had the leisure to think about what had happened earlier.

He pondered for a moment, then said with deep gravity: "It seems I bent him straight."

Zuo Chou: ...

Having known Qin Shu for so long, Zuo Chou naturally understood what "bent him straight" meant—

"You finally realized he likes you?"

The black-haired sentinel grew even more solemn: "Was it that obvious?"

Zuo Chou: ...

How could Qin Shu be such a person?

"So, did he confess to you today?"

"...Sort of."

"And then?"

Qin Shu's expression soured: "He admitted he was messing with me."

It was strange—when he mentioned the "confession," Qin Shu's face was normal, but at this, a cold anger suddenly surfaced.

Was it that he hated Li Wuya's deception more than his feelings?

Zuo Chou studied his expression.

"He admitted he was faking the marriage?"

"Pretty much."

Qin Shu kicked Zuo Chou's shin: "When I was defending him, did you think I was an idiot?"

"How could I think that?" Zuo Chou hugged Qin Shu's arm, fake-crying. "I just think Li Wuya tricked you—he's the bad one!"

"Yeah, he's the jerk."

They had a few more drinks.

Zuo Chou leaned in. "Little Shuer, look how angry you are. Let's just keep our distance from Li Wuya. I'll take some annual leave and take you to the Southern Star System."

Qin Shu squinted, his eyes hazy from the alcohol fumes. "You have that much annual leave?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm taking you out anyway."

The handsome young man leaned in close, looking all pitiful. "I'm telling you, the reason you had no luck with girls before was because that guy was always hanging around you. If you go somewhere he can't get to, girls would definitely like you, believe me?"

Qin Shu tilted his head to look at him.

His thick lashes cast a faint shadow on his cheekbones, his gaze both focused and careless. "No."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm still tangled up with a gay guy. How can I go out and mess with other girls?"

Zuo Chou was frozen solid. "Little Shuer, what do you mean? After today, you still want to be tangled up with that guy?"

Qin Shu got annoyed and kicked him. "Can you stop saying such gay shit?"

"You're the one who said 'tangled up' first!"

A scuffle broke out—mostly one-sided beating. Qin Shu looked down at Zuo Chou, who was sitting all messed up on the sofa.

"What I mean is, I'm going to have a fight with Li Wuya and be in the right."

The rich aroma of wine mixed with that cold feeling seeped into his heart and lungs.

He was probably a little tipsy. The black-haired sentinel seemed a bit slow, speaking a little slower than usual.

"Lend me thirty thousand."

...His train of thought seemed quite jumpy.

Zuo Chou: "What?"

"I want to have a fight with Li Wuya and be in the right, so I need to pay back all the money he's spent on me first," Qin Shu said. "I'm still short thirty thousand."

"He's a big noble, capitalist, with the rank of general. He doesn't need this little bit from you!"

"Don't worry about it. Give me thirty thousand."

Ten minutes later, Zuo Chou grumblingly transferred thirty-five thousand to Qin Shu.

Qin Shu nodded in satisfaction and transferred fifty million and thirty thousand to Li Wuya's private account.

The other side called almost immediately. Qin Shu skillfully ignored it.

Zuo Chou leaned on his shoulder. "Little Shuer, don't ever forgive him!"

"I'm really tired of you being so good to him. I hate it, I'm so unbalanced and jealous. And he always shows off in front of me..." Zuo Chou muttered. "I know you're soft-hearted towards him, but have some limits, okay? At least look at me more—"

His voice suddenly stopped.

Qin Shu suddenly turned his head and cupped his face.

His focused expression, with wine staining his lips and making them glisten, also swept the coldness and indifference from his face, leaving only the clean, sharp lines and superiority of his features.

...

Zuo Chou let out a dumbfounded "ah."

Qin Shu said, "I was looking at you."

Qin Shu added, "Is this distance too gay?"

Zuo Chou suddenly went, "Yi——"

Qin Shu let him go, and he immediately rolled to the corner of the sofa, curling up and covering his face: "Way too gay! If you're not going to marry me, don't tease me, Brother Shu! You heartbreaker!"

Qin Shu blinked slowly.

So it really was that gay, but he and Li Wuya were usually even closer than this.

What was that then?

Super gay?

-

In the end, he couldn't decide if it was very gay or super gay.

After a few more drinks, Zuo Chou had to go back for centralized management — since as Corps Commanders, they still faced restrictions when entering the capital.

Qin Shu was reluctant, but could only say, "Alright, then."

Zuo Chou whined for a while, then peeked at Qin Shu. "What's up, Little Shuer? Not gonna invite me to stay?"

Qin Shu stroked his chin. "That probably won't work."

"Why?" He had a bad feeling. "Don't tell me..."

Qin Shu: "You might run into Li Wuya. Can you handle that?"

"..."

Zuo Chou exploded again: "Doesn't he have his own home?!"

"He's been staying at my place recently."

"He absolutely has to stay at your place today! How shameless!"

"He probably won't stay at my place today," Qin Shu mused. "Maybe he'll just wait outside my door or something."

"Why?!"

Qin Shu said matter-of-factly: "Because he's asking for my forgiveness."

He had done something that made Qin Shu angry, and knowing Li Wuya, his attitude would definitely be on point, no matter what.

"Then, then are you going to forgive him...?"

Qin Shu said even more matter-of-factly: "No."

Why should I forgive him just because he asked?

For some reason, after the chat, Zuo Chou felt a subtle sense of resentment.

As Qin Shu was leaving, Zuo Chou tossed him a gift box.

"A gift for you. Open it when you get home." What a mysterious thing to say.

Qin Shu flashed an OK sign, and the two parted ways. He strolled back toward home.

Sure enough, a silent shadow stood up ahead.

Qin Shu kept his eyes straight ahead and walked right around him.

The shadow silently followed him.

Up the stairs, back home. Li Wuya said, "Sorry, A Shu, I've calmed down—"

Qin Shu closed the bedroom door.

Then he went to sleep.