Fu Tianhe was busy setting up the tent with great enthusiasm, while Chen Ci carefully searched every inch of the area he could see, eventually pulling his gaze back. 

Chen Ci rarely felt uneasy, but this strange situation made him alert. He steadied his mind and stepped forward to help Fu Tianhe, just like they had done together over the past two days to finish setting up the tent. 

Once he confirmed that the tent was securely fixed, Fu Tianhe straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Alright, let’s get ready to eat.” 

Fu Tianhe set up the cooking equipment. They had brought a small seawater filter that could directly convert seawater into drinkable freshwater, so even on the third day, they didn’t have to worry about water resources. 

Fu Tianhe opened the food package and poured it into the pot, added enough water, lit the vaporizer, and tossed in some vacuum-packed synthetic meat. 

These synthetic foods tasted pretty good; at least they were edible. Chen Ci, camping in the wild, wasn’t picky—he would eat whatever was available as long as it filled his stomach. Who would have thought he was once a prince consort enjoying the most privileged treatment inside the White Tower? 

After three days of traveling together, Fu Tianhe discovered that Jiu Yue was quite resilient and hardworking. Chen Ci shattered all of Fu Tianhe’s stereotypes about Omegas—no delicateness, no weakness, no fear of exhaustion; he couldn’t find any of those traits in Jiu Yue. 

On the contrary, the boy’s physical strength surprised him. He was agile and bold, yet he also possessed the recognized attentiveness and sharpness of an Omega. Traveling with someone like him was definitely a great fortune. 

The vaporizer was highly efficient, and the soup pot quickly came to a boil. Fu Tianhe stirred the food inside, planning to let it cook a bit longer. The warm firelight illuminated Chen Ci’s face, casting flickering shadows that danced with the flames, making his amber eyes seem to hold some kind of liquid essence. 

Chen Ci sat on a collapsed stone pillar, relaxing his whole body as he gazed at the distant horizon, which had already fallen into darkness, seemingly lost in thought. 

Fu Tianhe stole a few glances at him, and seeing that he seemed not to notice, he grew bolder. No matter when he saw Jiu Yue, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe; even the hottest virtual stars today couldn’t compare to the boy in front of him. 

His features were exceptionally handsome, delicate yet not overly dainty, soft yet undeniably striking. His outstanding aura gave everything a faint chill and distance, like an elf emerging from frost and mist. And now, he was illuminated by the warm firelight. 

The only sounds were the gentle night breeze and the bubbling of the boiling pot. Fu Tianhe ladled a bit of soup, slurped it up for a taste, confirmed that the food was cooked and seasoned just right, and said, “We can eat now.” 

Chen Ci nodded and finally pulled his gaze back. They divided the food from the pot. Compared to Chen Ci, Fu Tianhe needed to eat much more; he was tall and strong, always busy, so he naturally burned more energy. 

Eating a warm meal that tasted pretty good while camping in the wild was indeed a source of happiness. 

After extinguishing the vaporizer, they had to conserve the little energy they had. The only light came from a small searchlight hanging outside the tent, illuminating the darkness within a ten-meter radius. 

The two of them ate, occasionally exchanging a few words, mostly Fu Tianhe asking questions and Chen Ci giving brief answers. Fu Tianhe was already used to this way of communicating; Jiu Yue just wasn’t very talkative, not that he didn’t want to engage with him. Listening to the boy answer his questions was actually quite interesting. 

After finishing his meal, Chen Ci stood up to wash the dishes. Seeing this, Fu Tianhe immediately stepped forward and took the containers from his hands. “I’ll do it; you go rest.” 

Chen Ci didn’t insist; he slowly withdrew his hand and watched Fu Tianhe carry their dishes and cooking gear toward the seawater desalination unit. 

Taking this opportunity, he could use the stored freshwater to wash up a bit. The only inconvenience of being outside was taking a shower; Chen Ci could only wipe his body with a damp towel. 

Estimating that Fu Tianhe would be gone for a while, Chen Ci took off his shirt. He wore a gray T-shirt underneath, made of breathable fabric that absorbed sweat, which felt very comfortable. 

Hanging his shirt on the tent’s frame, Chen Ci walked to the other side of the tent, wet the towel, and began to wipe his body. The water was cool, and the gentle breeze quickly whisked away the heat from his skin, but thankfully, the temperature wasn’t too low. 

He quickly wiped down his upper body, his fingers brushing against the neck ring, tilting his head back to carefully clean his neck. 

Meanwhile, Fu Tianhe had finished washing the dishes. He stood up, turned to talk to Chen Ci, and saw the boy’s bare shoulders on the other side of the tent. 

Fu Tianhe froze. 

He instinctively raised his hand to cover his eyes, completely forgetting that he was still holding the cooking gear, almost dropping everything. 

In a flurry, Fu Tianhe clutched the pot and dishes tightly, struggling for a few seconds before remembering he could just close his eyes. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing without looking that he was definitely blushing. 

The sound of splashing water was so clear in his ears. Fu Tianhe didn’t dare to breathe, holding his breath for a moment, and when he didn’t hear any comments like “pervert,” he cautiously opened one eye. 

It seemed Jiu Yue hadn’t noticed that he had accidentally seen him? 

Chen Ci had only taken off his shirt, and the area below his shoulders was completely hidden by the tent, but the half-exposed sight was even more tantalizing than a full view. 

His shoulders were flat, and the graceful lines of his shoulder blades moved with the motion of his arms, the subtle muscle definition shifting along with it. 

Chen Ci had already wiped his shoulder blades, and his skin glowed white and smooth under the searchlight, the damp water glistening faintly. 

Fu Tianhe’s breathing quickened as he clearly saw Chen Ci push aside the neck ring he had been wearing. 

The boy’s nape was exposed before him, and beneath the thin skin lay the most important glands of an Omega. 

No Omega would dare to casually display their nape in front of an Alpha, as it carried a strong implication—seeking a mark. 

Fu Tianhe bit down on his tongue, the sharp canine teeth piercing into the flesh, causing a noticeable pain. 

—This was how an Alpha would sink their teeth into an Omega’s glands, injecting pheromones and marking them with their scent. 

Every Alpha had an irresistible instinct, and he was no different. 

Fu Tianhe knew he couldn’t look any longer. 

He forcefully closed his eyes, his thin eyelids struggling against the desires within him. After two seconds, Fu Tianhe simply lifted his hand and placed the freshly washed pot on his head. 

Alright, now he couldn’t see anything. 

He sighed in relief and took a step, only to trip over a protruding rock and nearly faceplant into the ground. 

“Ah ah ah ah—” 

If he hadn’t desperately flailed his arms to maintain his balance at the last moment, Fu Tianhe would have ended up kissing the ground face-first. 

The clattering noise naturally caught Chen Ci’s attention. 

The moment Fu Tianhe turned around after washing the dishes, Chen Ci had sensed it; after all, the commotion from an Alpha being clumsy was too obvious to ignore. 

But Chen Ci didn’t think it was a big deal; he and Fu Tianhe were both male, and he was only bare from the waist up, with his back turned. 

He was just wiping his body; it wasn’t anything shameful. 

Chen Ci carefully dried his upper body, took out a change of clothes from his bag, and put them on. 

As for the dirty clothes, he planned to wash them later; the new outfit should last him two or three days. 

He washed the towel thoroughly and hung it on a line to dry before turning back to look at Fu Tianhe. 

Fu Tianhe was sitting upright on the stone pillar, the pot still on his head, his hands resting obediently on his legs, indicating that he hadn’t done anything. 

Chen Nian walked over and took the pot off. 

Suddenly, the light flooded in, and Fu Tianhe met Chen Ci’s gaze, his heart racing again. 

“I want to wash my feet,” Chen Ci said. 

“Ah? Oh, okay!” Fu Tianhe quickly got up to prepare water for Chen Ci. 

They didn’t have a basin, so it was best for one person to pour the water. Fu Tianhe gladly took on this task. 

Chen Ci sat on the stone pillar, took off his shoes and socks, and rolled up his pant legs to just below his knees, exposing his calves and feet. 

Fu Tianhe purified a large bottle of seawater and brought it over, squatting in front of Chen Ci as he tilted the bottle, gradually pouring the water. 

The clear water flowed down, splashing onto Chen Ci’s feet, creating little droplets that wet his ankles and calves. 

Chen Ci bent down, using his hands to wash, his fingers gliding over the tops of his feet and arches, washing each rounded toe one by one. 

His feet were incredibly soft; it might sound strange, but they were indeed very delicate. Fu Tianhe could tell at a glance that these were definitely not the feet of someone who had walked a lot. 

Chen Ci’s hands were the same. 

Under normal circumstances, anyone who did housework regularly would have rough hands, but there were no signs of hard labor on these hands. 

Yet Jiu Yue had indeed traveled a long way with him, rarely showing signs of fatigue. If he didn’t exercise much, he shouldn’t have such good stamina… right? 

The more Fu Tianhe thought about it, the more puzzled he became. The boy in front of him seemed like a contradiction, with conflicting phenomena colliding violently, creating an elusive aura that was hard to ignore. 

After washing his feet, Chen Ci moved up to clean his calves, the soft flesh yielding slightly under his fingertips. 

Fu Tianhe struggled to steady his hand pouring water; he didn’t want to keep looking, but he had to pay attention to where the water was landing. 

Before this, Fu Tianhe would never have thought that simply washing feet could make him so parched. 

Was he a pervert?! 

“All done.” Chen Ci straightened up, lightly shaking the water off his hands, and said to Fu Tianhe, “Do you want to wash?” 

Fu Tianhe definitely wanted to wash; after a day of running around, he had sweated a lot, and it would be uncomfortable to sleep like this. But Chen Ci clearly wanted to help him. 

Fu Tianhe quickly waved his hand, “I’ll do it myself.” 

Chen Ci nodded, using his changed clothes to dry off the water on his legs and feet, then putting his shoes and socks back on. He stood up and said, “Then I’ll prepare some water for you.” 

Clearly, he also felt it wasn’t right for the Alpha to do everything alone. 

Chen Ci went to the seawater purifier, while Fu Tianhe took a deep breath and rubbed his face vigorously. 

—It wasn’t his first time; why was he still feeling so hot? 

He wasn’t a pervert, right? 

Fu Tianhe’s heart cried out in despair. The more open Chen Ci was, the more he felt despicable, but he clearly hadn’t been like this before! 

Though he had met a few Omegas, it wasn’t like he had never had someone openly express their feelings for him; he hadn’t reacted much and had simply turned them down with a serious attitude. 

Now, just two or three years later, how had he turned into a lovesick fool?! 

Fu Tianhe was tangled in his thoughts when Chen Ci returned with the water. 

“Here.” He handed it to Fu Tianhe, who had previously said he would wash himself. 

“Thank you.” Fu Tianhe took it, setting it aside for a moment to free his hands to take off his shoes and socks. 

Chen Ci no longer looked at him, bending down to crawl into the tent to rest. 

As Fu Tianhe washed his feet, he listened to the sounds Chen Ci was making inside the tent, suddenly feeling a bit emotional. 

He had grown used to living alone, but now, the boy’s company felt like they were truly sharing a warm and simple life under this vast sky.