Chapter 13: Captain, We Need to Continue

Chapter 13: Captain, We Need to Keep Going

That day, Mu Ye gathered everyone for a meeting to make arrangements for their departure in a few days. For Shu Hanqing, this was the first time he'd seen Mu Ye in person in a long time.

He looked at the man—still the same upright and proper figure from his memory, delicate brows and eyes, wrapped in a warm, gentle glow.

Shu Hanqing suddenly felt that beauty really was a trap.

It felt like he hadn't seen the sun in ages. These days, his main schedule consisted of messing around with Rong Hua around the clock.

The meeting was long and boring—nothing but supply counts and route planning. Rong Hua sat right next to him, shoulders nearly touching.

Just as Shu Hanqing was starting to nod off, he felt something thin, cool, and slightly damp sneaking up his pant leg, winding around his calf and pressing against him—not too hard, not too soft.

By now, Shu Hanqing had learned firsthand just how formidable plant-type abilities could be.

He turned his head and shot Rong Hua a vicious glare.

But that bastard didn't let up at all—instead, the vine got even more brazen, slithering slickly up his inner thigh, even splitting off a strand to slip through the thin fabric...

Shu Hanqing sucked in a sharp breath, unable to sit still, ears burning.

What kind of little pervert is this? Can't even behave in a meeting!

Before the meeting, Shu Hanqing had already drawn a very clear line with Rong Hua, coldly and ruthlessly: "Listen to me carefully. I just accidentally slept with you a few times. In this apocalypse, sleeping with someone is as normal as getting banged up in a fight. Don't read too much into it."

Rong Hua put on a "you heartless bastard" look, staring him dead in the eye.

"...Then if you're going to sleep with anyone, it'll only be me."

Shu Hanqing said, "You think too much. Like you can control me?"

Rong Hua was pissed off at the time.

After the meeting, everyone filed out. But Mu Ye called out to Shu Hanqing: "Hanqing, stay for a moment."

Shu Hanqing stopped in his tracks. Before he could react, Rong Hua beside him had already crossed his arms and plopped himself down on the table behind them, looking like he wasn't going anywhere either.

Mu Ye frowned slightly, those eyes that were always so gentle and cool turning to Rong Hua: "Rong Hua, you leave too."

Rong Hua's gaze immediately snapped to Shu Hanqing.

But Shu Hanqing just pretended not to see him. Disappointment flashed through Rong Hua's eyes as he obediently got up, glancing back every few steps as he pushed the door open and left.

Only Shu Hanqing and Mu Ye remained in the room.

Mu Ye stepped closer: "Hanqing, I heard you've been living with Rong Hua?"

Shu Hanqing nodded: "He had a little spat with his roommate. Kid's temper, nowhere else to go, so he moved in with me."

Mu Ye let out an "oh," but his expression wasn't too happy: "Your ability still hasn't improved at all lately. This won't do. If you have some time, I could—"

"No need." Shu Hanqing cut him off. "If the captain ever thinks I don't deserve to be on this team, I can leave. No problem."

Mu Ye's brows furrowed deeper: "That's not what I meant."

"I know." Shu Hanqing stood up. "Captain, just think of me as a lost cause. Don't feel bad about it. I'll head out first."

The rules of survival in this apocalypse were sometimes just that straightforward and ruthless. The strong ruled, the weak latched on, or they just left.

Feelings were the most extravagant and most useless thing of all.

Shu Hanqing was in a bad mood today.

The Thunder Mark on his body still had no solution—like a silent curse sprawled across his skin, always reminding him of things he'd rather not think about.

Of course, Rong Hua had seen it when they were together. Impossible to hide—such a big patch, wrapping from his back around to his chest, fully visible under the light.

Shu Hanqing said it was a tattoo. Rong Hua stared at the Thunder Mark for a long while, his eyes tracing the lines of the pattern stroke by stroke, a strange look on his face: "...And you call me the weird one?"

Shu Hanqing hadn't taken the bait at the time.

The moment he stepped through the dorm room door, Rong Hua pressed up against him, clearly having planned it—the heat of that body pressing straight through two layers of clothes, pressing him up against the wall. The door slammed shut behind them.

Before Shu Hanqing could speak, Rong Hua kissed him.

Fierce and possessive, like he was marking his territory—his tongue forcing his way past Shu Hanqing's teeth.

The back of Shu Hanqing's head hit the wall, cushioned by Rong Hua's hand that had somehow gotten there. They stumbled their way deeper into the room, bumping into chair backs, knocking over cups on the table—neither of them gave a damn. Until the backs of their knees hit the edge of the bed, and they fell down together.

Soon clothes were being torn off haphazardly, fabric crumpled at their ankles, hanging off shoulders—neither of them bothered to deal with it.

Shu Hanqing straddled Rong Hua's hips, arms draped over his neck, fingers loosely laced together behind his neck. Rong Hua's arms locked around his waist, so tight it felt like he was trying to crush him into his bones.

Rong Hua was sucking and biting his lips, pulling back only to dive back in, like he could never get enough. Shu Hanqing's mouth hung half-open, letting him do as he pleased, his breathing ragged and broken, never once settling.

They kissed until both were drenched in sweat, heat radiating from beneath their skin, clothes hanging loose on their bodies, completely useless.

Shu Hanqing figured a good fuck might cheer him up.

Rong Hua's hand slipped under the hem of his shirt—a thin layer of calluses from years of holding weapons—sliding slowly down from his waist, so agonizingly slow. When those fingers brushed over the Thunder Mark, Shu Hanqing's abs twitched slightly.

"So what did you and Mu Ye talk about?" Rong Hua's voice was low and muffled, his lips still pressed against the corner of Shu Hanqing's mouth.

Shu Hanqing hadn't caught his breath yet, but his tone had already gone back to that cool, indifferent register: "What's it to you?"

Two seconds of silence.

Rong Hua asked again: "Do you still have feelings for him?"

Shu Hanqing thought for a moment, and in that sweaty, tangled mess of breath and heat, answered seriously: "Not as much as I used to, I guess."

That was the honest truth.

Rong Hua didn't say anything. He lowered his head and bit down on Shu Hanqing's Adam's apple, his canine teeth sinking into the thin skin, leaving a red mark.

He thought Shu Hanqing was so infuriating. Why did he have to like that emotionally clueless guy?

Mu Ye had only come to try to talk some sense into Shu Hanqing once more—his ability level dropping too fast wasn't normal. When he reached the door, he heard a muffled noise coming from Shu Hanqing's room.

Through the door, it was hard to make out—sounds like confused, pained groans forced out from deep in his throat, as if muffled by something.

His heart clenched. He always carried the key on him. He slipped it in, turned it, and the door swung open.

"Hanqing—"

Sunlight flooded in from behind him, spreading a blinding white patch across the floor.

And then he saw the two of them on the bed, bodies tangled together as if their lives depended on it.

Rong Hua reacted faster than he could think. He grabbed the quilt beside him and wrapped Shu Hanqing's upper body in it, tucking him in tight, leaving only his legs sticking out.

Those legs were covered in marks of desire too—red marks layered over fingerprints, spreading from the inner thighs all the way to the backs of the knees, a hint that what was hidden was even worse.

Rong Hua swore under his breath. Looking at the person at the door, he raised his chin, his voice rough with leftover desire and undisguised hostility: "...Captain, here to return the key? Just leave it there. You really couldn't have picked a worse time."

Shu Hanqing couldn't see anything. He was buried under the quilt, swallowed by blackness. The smell of detergent and the combined body heat of the two of them wrapped around him, sealing him in.

But he knew Mu Ye was standing not far away, right at the door. He didn't know if Mu Ye had seen anything, or how much.

Rong Hua was still going at him, not stopping, shameless, even heavier-handed than before.

Shu Hanqing bit his lower lip, choking back every sound before it could escape, not daring to make a single noise, burning with shame.

Mu Ye stood there, like he'd been hit by lightning. Not a single part of him could move; his blood felt like it had frozen solid. He should look away, should turn around, should say something, but he couldn't do any of it.

Rong Hua spoke again: "...Put the key on the cabinet."

"And close the door on your way out, Captain. We're going to continue."

He sounded like a total bastard, smug as hell.

Mu Ye placed the key on the cabinet.

He had no memory of walking over or letting go of the key.

Mu Ye turned and pulled the door shut. The moment it clicked closed, Rong Hua's voice came from inside, low and commanding, carrying an intimacy and unbridled boldness between lovers that he had never heard before.

Then came the sounds.

＊＊

Unrestrained.

Mu Ye stood outside the door.

He didn't leave. His fingers gripped the doorknob, tightening one by one, knuckles turning pale white, veins bulging on the back of his hand. The sunlight still fell on his shoulders behind him, but he couldn't feel a trace of warmth.

He wanted to kill Rong Hua.