Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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Ye Qingyun watched as Gu Shenyuan approached step by step, his face still calm, but the fire in his eyes betrayed his true emotions.

Gu Shenyuan had taken the bait.

The ease with which he had fallen for it made Ye Qingyun’s feelings complex. It was clear that Gu Shenyuan had no defenses against him and truly liked him, which made it so easy to stir his emotions.

Gu Shenyuan sat down on the bed and silently took Ye Qingyun’s casually placed hand.

Ye Qingyun let him hold it, and softly asked, “Do you still want a massage today?”

Gu Shenyuan nodded.

According to the instructions, the massage was supposed to be done every day. If it was only done intermittently, there would be no real effect.

Moreover, he enjoyed giving Ye Qingyun massages. He loved hearing the sounds Ye Qingyun made in response to his touch, loved the way Ye Qingyun’s eyes became moist and dreamy when he looked at him, and loved the flushed color on Ye Qingyun’s cheeks.

Whether it was out of selfish desire or genuine concern, he wanted to keep showing this care without interruption.

Ye Qingyun pulled his hand from Gu Shenyuan’s grasp, then took Gu Shenyuan’s wrist and guided his hand to the spot on his upper body where the massage had been focused for several days.

“Do you think it’s working?” Ye Qingyun asked softly.

When Gu Shenyuan’s fingers touched the area that he had been paying extra attention to, he instinctively applied pressure, and Ye Qingyun shivered slightly in response.

Gu Shenyuan’s eyes deepened, his voice low. “Yes.”

Ye Qingyun was almost struck by his actions, but he steeled himself, repeating the lines he had planned and finishing the performance.

Ye Qingyun glared at Gu Shenyuan, irritated. “It’s swollen; of course, it’s working!”

Gu Shenyuan calmly accepted Ye Qingyun’s glare. “It’s not swollen. I’ve been careful with the pressure.”

“I said it’s swollen, so it is!” Ye Qingyun retorted. “I don’t care, I’m taking a break today.”

Gu Shenyuan sighed helplessly. He had suggested to Ye Qingyun before that he should apply medicine, but Ye Qingyun had stubbornly insisted he was fine. Now, it seemed, he was finally admitting it.

—

However, he wasn’t as uncontrollable as the first time, and the pressure should have been just right. So why is it still hurting? Could it be that he’s too delicate?

Gu Shenyuan wanted to get up and fetch some medicine to apply to Ye Qingyun but was stopped by him.

“I don’t need any medicine. Do you think I’m that fragile? If I rest for a day, it’ll heal by itself!” Ye Qingyun wouldn’t let him leave. He wrapped an arm around Gu Shenyuan’s neck, leaned in, and blew on his ear, “Are you leaving now? After all this time, shouldn’t it be my turn?”

At this point, Gu Shenyuan finally understood what Ye Qingyun was planning.

He must have felt embarrassed after everything he had done and was now trying to get back at him.

“Do whatever makes you happy,” Gu Shenyuan said helplessly.

Ye Qingyun’s plan was successful, but he felt both happy and ashamed at the same time.

According to the plan, he was going to wear Gu Shenyuan out tonight, then feed him the antidote that he pretended was a stamina-boosting potion.

To make Gu Shenyuan cooperate, he had learned a line that would make him feel humiliated enough to die on the spot.

Normally, he would never have said such a thing, but the situation was special, and even though it was embarrassing, he had to swallow his pride.

“Everything you promised sounded so nice, but what about reality?” Ye Qingyun gently grasped Gu Shenyuan’s hand. “Can you satisfy me?”

Gu Shenyuan squinted his eyes, and his gaze turned dangerous.

Ye Qingyun continued to fan the flames: “Last time, when I helped you, I felt you were a bit too fast… don’t you think you should prove yourself?”

The last time he helped Gu Shenyuan, it was their first time, and Gu Shenyuan had gotten excited, so he had been a little too quick, which Ye Qingyun understood. But now, he deliberately wanted to provoke Gu Shenyuan and stir up his competitive spirit.

Gu Shenyuan grabbed Ye Qingyun’s hand to stop him from moving and gave him a dangerous look: “Nonsense. Don’t you know how your body is right now?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Ye Qingyun raised his eyes to look at Gu Shenyuan, his warm eyes glowing like solidified honey under the soft light. “Even if we don’t go all the way, you can still… I can help you in other ways.”

Ye Qingyun leaned in close to Gu Shenyuan’s ear and whispered a few words, then gently nibbled on his pale earlobe. He could feel Gu Shenyuan’s body stiffen, as if he was restraining himself, yet on the verge of exploding.

“Doing this won’t hurt me,” Ye Qingyun kissed the corner of Gu Shenyuan’s mouth, looking at him with affectionate eyes full of expectation. “Come on, try it. I’ve wanted to play with you for so long.”

After saying this, Ye Qingyun heard a sigh from Gu Shenyuan.

The sigh was deep, and Gu Shenyuan’s body relaxed, as though the tension in his mind had finally snapped.

Ye Qingyun heard Gu Shenyuan’s hoarse voice: “I’ll satisfy you.”

Ye Qingyun’s heart lifted, and he smiled as he caressed Gu Shenyuan’s face.

With this, his plan had succeeded halfway!

The remaining steps weren’t difficult, and he was sure he could succeed—

Suddenly, a sharp alarm blared, and red lights began flashing across the dark sky outside the window. It was the light from several spacecraft flying overhead.

The intimate atmosphere was instantly shattered. Gu Shenyuan wrapped Ye Qingyun’s clothes around him, then waved his hand to draw all the curtains in the room, ensuring no one from the outside could see in.

Gu Shenyuan closed his eyes for a moment to sense the situation. His face darkened. “A lot of people are coming.”

The spacecraft was too far away, and the fleeting light didn’t let Ye Qingyun know their exact destination, but a sense of unease stirred in his chest.

Theoretically, it should be impossible for the royal family to find them so quickly. But if it was the royal family who had sent people to find them, what would they do? He hadn’t fully researched the disintegration machine yet, nor had he figured out the best method.

Safety came first, so they needed to figure out a way to escape secretly.

Ye Qingyun tugged at Gu Shenyuan’s sleeve, intending to share his thoughts, but he saw that Gu Shenyuan’s face had darkened, a faint killing intent emanating from him.

“Calm down!” Ye Qingyun advised. “I know you’re always disturbed by them, and you don’t like them, but getting angry isn’t the solution. Let’s lay low, figure out the enemy’s situation, and then deal with them. We should minimize casualties, okay? I want us both to stay alive!”

Gu Shenyuan held Ye Qingyun’s hand, the killing intent gradually fading. “I’ll listen to you.”

Ye Qingyun’s original plan was to use a jammer to hide, then leave and prepare everything before going to war with the enemy.

However, when Ye Qingyun reached the place where all the equipment was stored, he found that all the high-tech devices were in disarray. Even sending a message was impossible. The only thing still working was a monitoring device.

Ye Qingyun froze for a moment, then quickly realized that the equipment malfunctioned because something had interfered with it.

He had heard of something capable of causing this kind of disruption to all defense technology, but that device should be in the military, strictly guarded, and could not be used without the emperor and generals’ consent. How could it be here?

…Unless the people who came weren’t just from the royal family, but also the military.

At that moment, the spacecraft in the distance began to land. Ye Qingyun heard the rumbling noise of the large machines, which was loud enough to wake someone from their sleep.

Through the monitor, Ye Qingyun saw people jumping out of the spacecraft, spreading out, and heading toward the nearest houses, banging on the doors.

“Who is it?” One of the homeowners angrily shouted from behind the door. “I’m telling you, breaking into private homes is illegal! Watch out, I’ll report you!”

But his warning had no effect. After speaking, the person knocking on the door used something to tap the door, and it opened with a click.

—

“Please cooperate,” the soldier who broke into the house said coldly, “We are in the process of capturing a high-profile fugitive. We suspect he is hiding in one of these houses. Please cooperate with our work to avoid any accidental harm.”

“A fugitive? There’s no fugitive here,” the man said, but he didn’t dare to be as arrogant as before. He allowed the soldier to search his house.

After the soldier entered the house, Ye Qingyun couldn’t see what was happening inside, nor did it provide much reference. Just as he was about to switch to another surveillance target, he heard the door being knocked again.

— This time, it was their door being knocked.

“Open the door, I haven’t checked this house yet!” The person outside shouted, “I’ll count to three, and if you don’t open, I will legally force my way in!”

Ye Qingyun gripped Gu Shenyuan’s hand. He still felt a little nervous about such situations.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here; nothing will happen to you,” Gu Shenyuan softly reassured him, “Stay here; I’ll be back soon.”

“No, I’m going with you!” Ye Qingyun refused fiercely.

What if, once Gu Shenyuan went outside, he bumped into a weapon made specifically to deal with him and was killed unexpectedly? He had to follow to protect Gu Shenyuan, and if something happened, he could block the blow.

Gu Shenyuan allowed Ye Qingyun to follow. He shielded Ye Qingyun with his body and walked toward the door.

The soldier outside was growing impatient and was about to force the door open. However, as soon as his tool touched the door, it was immediately corroded and melted, with no sign of the door opening.

There was a problem!

The thought flashed through the soldier’s mind. He stepped back, planning to leave and report this strange situation to his superiors from a safer location.

However, before he could take two steps, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and then lost consciousness.

Ye Qingyun stood behind, watching as Gu Shenyuan swiftly and decisively took care of the soldier. After taking a deep breath, he crouched down and picked up the items the soldier had been carrying.

One of the items looked familiar. After some inspection, Ye Qingyun confirmed that it was a miniature version of the surveillance devices used above various planets to track and monitor Gu Shenyuan. This device was primarily used to verify whether he and Gu Shenyuan were the individuals they were looking for.

Ye Qingyun continued searching and found a completely black device resembling a terminal.

He pressed it, and the screen lit up, displaying the following message:

‘Death report of the holder has been sent. In special circumstances, the superior has been notified immediately!’

The message changed:

‘Beep! The general has received the report and is on his way!’