Yun Xunlan forgot how Mu Xingyu insulted him, right?

No.

Not only did he not forget, but he also remembered it very clearly. After all, his memory had always been excellent, so much so that sometimes Yun Xunlan felt it was a burden.

For instance, at this moment, looking at Jian Wenxi with his brows furrowed in anger, he could immediately recall why Jian Wenxi hated Mu Xingyu—back when he was only five years old, and Mu Xingyu was not that much older, just fourteen, but it was the rebellious and unruly phase of adolescence.

All the negative emotions and malice of that age were vented onto Yun Xunlan.

Thief, robber, disgusting parasite, if it weren’t for you, if you were the one who died… these were all the names and curses he hurled at Yun Xunlan.

Yun Xunlan remained silent, listening until these words were overheard by a third party.

“Little brat!”

That was the first time Yun Xunlan heard Jian Wenxi curse.

Originally, he thought Jian Wenxi was just a shy and well-behaved kid, someone who would cry if there were too many people around. So when he first heard that curse, Yun Xunlan thought it was someone else cursing. But the next second, Jian Wenxi burst out from the bushes behind him and Mu Xingyu like a cannonball, fiercely pushing Mu Xingyu—though he didn’t actually budge him.

However, he angrily declared, “What are you cursing at Lanlan for?! I’m going to report you to the Crown Prince! You’re dead meat!”

Unfortunately, Jian Wenxi’s fierce words didn’t intimidate Mu Xingyu, but they startled Yun Xunlan. He had to use all his persuasive skills to calm Jian Wenxi down and keep this secret from the fourth person.

Jian Wenxi agreed to Yun Xunlan’s request but couldn’t understand why Yun Xunlan would tolerate Mu Xingyu insulting him like that.

“He’s pitiful, but his misfortunes aren’t your fault, you didn’t cause them.” Jian Wenxi was agitated, his eyes reddening with anger, and he even forgot to maintain distance, grabbing Yun Xunlan’s sleeve through his gloves, urgently saying, “In the past, you could say he was young and didn’t understand, but how old is he now? If Mu Xingyu dares to say those things again, I won’t just call him out, I’ll smash his mouth!”

Jian Wenxi’s social anxiety was well-known among the interstellar pirates.

Having spent over ten years with him, Yun Xunlan had never heard him call him on the phone except for urgent work.

He never expected that now, he would actively call Mu Xingyu to scold him for his sake. Yun Xunlan felt very touched and then refused Jian Wenxi, “Wenxi, my second brother just came back during a sensitive period, and his temper is still not great, but he really didn’t curse at me.”

Upon hearing this, Jian Wenxi fixed his gaze on the silver-haired alpha’s face, trying to see if he was lying.

But after confirming that Yun Xunlan was telling the truth, Jian Wenxi’s expression still didn’t brighten. He continued to ask, “Are you speaking up for him?”

“No.” Yun Xunlan gently shook his head, looking directly into Jian Wenxi’s eyes, “I’m just stating the facts.”

Those golden eyes were calm and unruffled, but Jian Wenxi felt inexplicably sad looking at them. He released Yun Xunlan’s sleeve, “Have you seen Doctor Yu recently?”

“I go regularly.” Yun Xunlan replied, “I have a large full-body check-up every three months and a mental health assessment every month. I’ll see Doctor Yu again this weekend.”

Doctor Yu’s full name was Yu Jianuo, a psychologist who only served the royal family.

Jian Wenxi’s tone was almost pleading, “Go as soon as you can.”

Yun Xunlan didn’t refuse him, “Then I’ll go after work tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Jian Wenxi finally felt a bit relieved, but there was still one thing he wanted to ask, “You took sick leave a couple of days ago; is your health still an issue?”

Yun Xunlan told him, “No, I just had a bit of a nosebleed. Doctor Edmond just told me to rest in bed.”

Jian Wenxi completely released the tension he had been holding in his throat, nodding, “Okay, then I’ll get back to work.”

After saying that, he turned and left Yun Xunlan’s office.

As he stepped out, he happened to bump into Lu You and Yu Chen, who were coming to switch shifts with Ji Bai and Luoti. Jian Wenxi paid no attention to Lu You but glanced at Yu Chen several times.

Ji Bai found it strange, “What did Young Master Jian talk about with the Third Prince in the office? He came in all angry, but now his eyes are a bit red?”

Luoti added a detail that Ji Bai hadn’t noticed, “He kept staring at you, Yu Chen.”

Yu Chen noticed this too, but he was just as confused, not understanding why, since he had never interacted with Jian Wenxi.

The only place they intersected in real life was that both Jian Wenxi and he knew Yun Xunlan.

But Jian Wenxi’s relationship with Yun Xunlan was more than just knowing each other; they were childhood friends and the subject of many rumors.

He had slept with Yun Xunlan last night.

So after hearing Ji Bai and Luoti’s words, Yu Chen’s first reaction was: Could Jian Wenxi be here to seek revenge?

What kind of revenge?

—For the crime of sleeping with Yun Xunlan.

However, just as this thought crossed Yu Chen’s mind, he quickly dismissed it.

The reason was that both Yun Xunlan and Jian Wenxi had publicly stated several times that they were just good friends, with no other feelings involved. So, Yun Xunlan could sleep with whoever he wanted, and Jian Wenxi had no say in it.

But their pheromone compatibility was quite high…

What does high compatibility mean?

It means they are more like a natural pair than others.

Yu Chen couldn’t help but think of the beautiful, fragrant lychee rose in his dormitory, which he had pitifully mistreated. He had taken care of it for a long time, but it still wouldn’t fully bloom and reveal its flower core.

—Was it because it knew he couldn’t pollinate it?

Yu Chen lowered his eyelashes, suppressing the shadows in his eyes.

He clearly understood that he shouldn’t be thinking about these trivial matters.

After all, if he firmly decided never to respond to or accept Yun Xunlan’s feelings for him, then he wouldn’t need to be entangled in these trivial matters. Yet, at this moment, he couldn’t control his wandering thoughts, which meant something else.

The answer was right there.

Yu Chen slowly raised his face, looking toward the end of the corridor on his right.

At the end of this corridor was a wall of artificial flowers, but Yu Chen seemed to see through the flower wall to a seemingly calm, yet hidden beneath it, a deep blue sea with raging waves—on the night when Mu Xingyu had a private conversation with Yun Xunlan in the study, he stood outside the study and saw this sea.

And the person he truly wanted to see was separated from him by a door and a wall, maintaining a distance that, while not far, was still untouchable.

Yu Chen’s lips curled into a self-deprecating smile—Fu Yanxi was right.

Clearly, he was about to be inevitably captured by Yun Xunlan’s gravity, becoming a poor celestial body locked by the tides, yet he was still holding on, futilely struggling against the laws of physics.

There was nothing wrong with being lost in this way.

At least until he crossed the Roche limit, before being pulled apart by the young man’s gravity, their orbits would never stop; and after that, he would either shatter and fall into the young man’s celestial body or become part of his magnificent and beautiful rings, their fates destined to intersect without deviation.

Yun Xunlan spent the entire afternoon in the office organizing data and had Ni Chun call Doctor Yu Jianuo to schedule an appointment for tomorrow.

For dinner, he had his usual nutrient solution, not stepping out at all, grabbing a bottle from the office fridge to drink on the spot. He actively worked overtime until around ten at night before getting up to finish up, preparing to return to the base staff dormitory to rest.

But upon seeing Yu Chen’s figure outside, he impulsively thought about changing his mind and going back to Zhan Yue Peninsula.

Because his dorm room at the Seventh Military Experimental Base was not large, and the bed was narrow, it couldn’t accommodate two alphas sleeping together unless he and Yu Chen tightly embraced each other, sleeping in the “intertwined” position the system suggested last night.

The problem was, Yu Chen wasn’t gay, so he definitely wouldn’t accept such a position that had a high probability of turning into something romantic.

It was better to sleep alone tonight.

Yun Xunlan sighed softly, and as soon as he entered the dormitory building, he waved off Lu You and Ni Chun, only allowing Yu Chen to accompany him to his room door, intending to chat with him for a bit, showing the mutual concern that good brothers should have before taking a shower and going to bed, planning to sleep with Yu Chen again when he returned to Zhan Yue Peninsula on the weekend.

“Yu Chen, I didn’t see you when I woke up this morning, and I didn’t have time to ask you on the training field.” Yun Xunlan first asked if Yu Chen had slept well, “Did you get used to sleeping with me last night?”

The blue-eyed alpha replied softly, “I’m used to it.”

“Then that’s good.” Yun Xunlan felt relieved, “If there’s anything you’re not used to, you can tell me.”

However, upon hearing this, Yu Chen stopped in his tracks, falling half a meter behind him, and asked back, “And then you’ll correct it, so I get more used to… sleeping with you?”

“Yeah.”

Yun Xunlan also paused, turning around at the dormitory door: “But we’re both alphas; would you mind that?”

Two alphas aren’t gay, and if they sleep together, a pheromone clash could easily make one alpha uncomfortable. Since his pheromones sometimes leaked uncontrollably, Yun Xunlan decided to ask Yu Chen’s opinion in advance.

To his surprise, after he asked this question, the alpha fell silent for a long time, just gazing deeply at him with those deep blue, cool eyes.

Gradually, Yun Xunlan began to feel a bit nervous—could it be that Yu Chen minded this?

He scrutinized Yu Chen’s face, afraid of missing any change in his emotions.

Finally, he saw the man swallow hard, his voice hoarse, his tone anxious and uneasy as he said, “…I don’t mind.”

This attitude made Yun Xunlan feel like Yu Chen was lying to him.

However, after those two words, the tall alpha slightly bowed his head, leaning closer to him and continuing, “If it’s you, I wouldn’t mind.”

After saying that, the man straightened his back, pressed his lips together, and fell silent, his blue eyes no longer looking at him, as if avoiding him.

Yun Xunlan’s gaze, however, remained fixed on Yu Chen—he noticed that Yu Chen’s ears had turned red.

So red it looked like it could bleed, it was just so hot.

And this heat was spreading, slowly creeping to his cheeks as he continued to watch.

Yun Xunlan asked the system in confusion, “Is Yu Chen blushing because he lied to me?”

“Ah?” The system spoke for Yu Chen, “I think he sounded quite sincere, not like he was lying.”

Yun Xunlan was even more puzzled, “Then why is he blushing?”