03

 Having just been rebuffed by Qin Fei, Song Yu immediately ran to Shen Songchen.

His voice sounded like he was complaining, yet also like he was being coquettish.

He didn't mention having nightmares, only that he had an allergic reaction and felt unwell. Shen Songchen concernedly opened his collar: "There are red wounds."

He was close, and his breath hit Song Yu's fair collarbone,

causing Song Yu to shiver involuntarily. Shen Songchen's eyes darkened, and he subtly withdrew his gaze. After straightening Song Yu's collar, he took the other's hand: "Come to my room, I'll apply medicine for you."

The man's palm was dry and warm, and his voice was gentle, a stark contrast to the icy Qin Fei from before.

Song Yu relied entirely on Shen Songchen, not only not pulling his hand away, but also hooking his little finger around the other's side.

Like a frightened little animal grasping at a straw.

*

Shen Songchen checked Song Yu over and found only red marks on his neck, chest, and waist.

The marks were faint, remaining only on the surface of her skin, but Song Yu's fair skin made her appear as if something had happened to her, a kind of cruel beauty.

"Let me apply the ointment for you; you can't touch your neck." Shen Songchen took out some ointment from the drawer; he hadn't used these since activating his superpower.

Song Yu nodded and immediately leaned closer.

A light floral scent wafted over.

People in the base always said Song Yu was promiscuous, still wearing perfume to seduce men even at times like this. Shen Songchen initially thought she was wearing perfume, but after dating for a while, he realized it was Song Yu's own scent.

A faint, almost imperceptible, yet addictive floral fragrance seeping through her skin.

Shen Songchen could feel his cold blood gradually warming, the tendrils and branches within him throbbing and twitching as if drawn by something, trying to break through his skin. "

Stop—"

Shen Songchen silently commanded.

Soon, the restlessness was suppressed.

The veins on Shen Songchen's arms and neck bulged, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

He hadn't yet mastered his plant-based superpowers and hadn't told the people at the base.

Of course, the main reason he hadn't told others wasn't that—the apocalypse had exposed humanity's worst flaws, and if some malicious people knew he possessed healing abilities, things might get chaotic.

Before that, he had his own things to do.

For example, getting revenge on her boyfriend.

Composing himself, Shen Songchen dipped his slender fingers in the soft, white ointment and applied it to the red marks on Song Yu's neck.

Even though he had touched it in the nightmare, the man was still shocked by the soft texture the moment he touched it.

It was different.

Touching it in person was completely different from touching it in a dream.

Song Yu's skin was smooth, soft, and elastic; if you pressed down hard, the soft flesh would be pushed to other areas, bulging out. The original spot would sink in deeply.

It was a beautiful, youthful body, somewhere between a boy and a young man.

Shen Songchen slowly and deliberately spread the ointment, his fingers uncontrollably wanting to apply more pressure.

Song Yu felt the other's pressure gradually increasing. At first, he bit his lower lip to endure it, but later he couldn't hold back any longer and whispered, "Brother Shen..."

His weak voice carried a hint of a sob.

Shen Songchen then reacted and loosened his grip, "Sorry, Xiao Yu, this kind of medicine needs to be rubbed in firmly."

Song Yu pouted aggrievedly and didn't complain anymore.

The pressure didn't increase, but... it felt a little strange.

After applying it to his neck, it was his waist.

Song Yu's waist was very sensitive; it went limp at the slightest touch. He immediately grabbed the other's wrist, stopping him, "Brother Shen, I... I can do it myself."

"I'm a little ticklish."

Song Yu was good at playing the victim.

The voice came from his nose, sounding like a coquettish plea.

If he didn't know his true nature, Shen Songchen would probably have been fooled too.

Did he always pretend to be this pitiful and weak to seduce men?

"Brother Shen?"

Song Yu called again, his voice even softer.

Shen Songchen was usually gentle, and his eyes were kind when he smiled. However, when he wasn't smiling, he had a dark, menacing look that was a little frightening.

Was he plotting revenge?

Song Yu bit his lower lip nervously, then released it after a few seconds.

Shen Songchen stared at the wet bite mark on Song Yu's lips, his expression hardening as he gently wiped away the tears clinging to the boy's eyelashes: "What about your chest? Do you want to do that yourself too?"

Song Yu nodded immediately.

After taking the ointment, he straightened his clothes and went back to his room.

On the way, he was still discussing with 009: [Something feels off.]

009 wanted to remind him: [Did you notice anything?]

Hmm…

Song Yu thought for a moment: [Did Shen Songchen used to be a massage therapist?]

Now it seems that sticky feeling is gone, and his whole body feels clean and refreshed.

009: …

009: [You forgot, he has healing abilities. He used that ability on you when he was applying the medicine.]

Song Yu's eyes widened.

He hadn't expected the other party to repay evil with kindness to this extent.

"How wonderful, this person.

It's a pity he met me."

Song Yu decided that in the remaining months of his life, he would treat Shen Songchen well.

Meanwhile,

Shen Songchen sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the remaining water stains on his fingers.

He remembered Song Yu's reddened and misty eyes earlier.

So wild, how could he be so easily aroused?

After a moment, the cold-faced man brought his fingers to his lips and licked away the remaining water stains.

*

After returning to his room, Song Yu applied medicine to the remaining areas.

His body was too sore and achy earlier, and he didn't have the energy to think. Now that he felt better, he realized that what he had experienced yesterday might not have been a nightmare.

Why would a dream cause such pain?

But what exactly happened?

The post-apocalyptic world didn't have supernatural elements, only monsters and strange pollutants.

Song Yu suspected that these unclean things had entered his room.

After thoroughly checking everything, and sealing the windows with protective covers, Song Yu finally relaxed a little, stuffed his clothes and sheets into a basin, and went to the washroom.

The base has lightning-type ability users who provide electricity, but it costs money. Although Song Yu is a rich second-generation, he has already squandered most of his money.

Thinking about how his phone still needed charging, he decided to hand wash it himself.

The water turned green after the sheets got wet.

But his sheets were light gray…

were they moldy?

Song Yu was a little disgusted. He painstakingly rinsed the sheets several times in the water, changing the water several times, before the color began to clear.

He poured in some laundry detergent, then slowly rubbed the sheets in the foam.

Soon, his palms were red from the rough sheets, and his fingertips were white from being soaked.

To avoid getting his shoes wet, Song Yu had specially changed into shorts and slippers. The washroom was perpetually dark and damp, and the boy's rounded toes twitched.

His legs ached.

Song Yu missed the previous two worlds.

At least he didn't have to hand wash the sheets.

He was bent over, unaware that Shen Songchen was staring at him from the corner.

The man's calm eyes were fixed on the boy's pink knees, showing no intention of helping.

Song Yu was rescued and brought back to the base. He was clearly a pampered young master, lacking even basic self-care abilities. Shen Songchen had a younger brother, but he had passed away, and Shen treated Song Yu like a younger brother.

At first, Song Yu was willing to say a few nice words to coax him, but after they started dating, Song Yu took it all for granted.

He treated Shen Songchen like his servant, like a dog to be ordered around.

Shen Songchen watched Song Yu slump over, lightly massaging his legs.

Tired?

Shen Songchen tried to find that sliver of satisfaction after his revenge, but it didn't seem to.

"My legs are so sore..."

the boy complained softly, his cheek puffing out slightly, his fair cheeks looking soft.

Perhaps this wasn't the revenge he wanted.

He wanted to make Song Yu suffer terribly, but this was just simple physical exhaustion.

"How can you wash like that?"

Song Yu was startled by the sudden voice, turning around to see Qin Fei's cold, indifferent face.

He was cursing him again.

Thinking of the other person's cold attitude that morning, Song Yu pursed her lips and turned away without a word.

Ignored, Qin Fei thought, "..."

Such a small person, yet with such a big temper.

He stood there hesitating for a moment, then stiffly reminded her, "The tap is on so high, it'll wash away all the foam."

Then, he saw Song Yu extend her fingers, red from being soaked in cold water, and turn the tap down.

But she still didn't speak.

Qin Fei frowned, "Where's Chen Songchen? Doesn't he usually do these things for you?"

Song Yu couldn't tell if he was being serious or mocking, but finally spared him a glance: "I'm not that stupid, I can wash my own clothes."

Qin Fei's heart skipped a beat at his gaze, and he looked away, stiffly saying, "I didn't say you were stupid."

Could she even wash such a big, heavy sheet?

Having a partner was useless after all?

Qin Fei felt a mix of emotions. He had just finished dealing with things at the base and returned to his room to rest, but he kept thinking about Song Yu's tearful face.

Although whether the other person cried or not was none of his business, they were still someone from the base, and he should at least show some concern if they weren't feeling well.

Thinking this, the man took out a tube of ointment from his pocket and held it out to Song Yu.

Song Yu looked up at him,

his expression seemingly saying, "If you don't want it, take it."

Qin Fei was a little embarrassed, but still forced a smile and said, "Didn't you say you had marks on your body? This is for scar removal."

Song Yu replied, "Shen Songchen already applied the ointment for me."

Qin Fei's expression stiffened, then he said, "You can keep it if you need it later."

He added, "I'm the captain; I have an obligation to protect everyone in the base."

It made perfect sense…

Song Yu didn't argue with him anymore. He took his hand out of the water, rinsed it, took the ointment, and whispered "Thank you."

He was about to put the ointment back in his pocket and continue washing the sheets when a force pushed him aside.

Song Yu: "?"

He stared at the man with a puzzled expression.

After pushing the man away, Qin Fei stood in front of the basin.

"You're wasting water like this."

"..." Sorry.

"I'll do it. Go back and change into long pants and put on socks." They're all pink from the cold.

"..." Huh?

Song Yu was slow to react after a few seconds. He realized that the other person was going to wash his sheets.

Is this also the captain's duty?

Song Yu wasn't sure. He wanted to say something, but he was afraid the other person would say "waste water" again. He glanced at Qin Fei and left the washroom without a word.

However, after taking a few steps, he seemed to remember something and turned back.

Qin Fei looked at the boy standing next to him like a clingy cat, his heart pounding. He said in a deep voice, "...Why did you come back?"

Song Yu's expression was a little embarrassed. His earlobes were pink. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke softly.

"My underwear is inside..."

Qin Fei's eyelids twitched violently.

Damn it.

She was still thinking of seducing him at a time like this.

Qin Fei took a deep breath, feigning indifference: "What? Are you going to take it back to your room to wash it secretly? Isn't that troublesome?"

Since Qin Fei didn't seem to care, Song Yu didn't bother with it either. He said "thank you" and went back to his room to change.

He walked quickly and didn't notice the person behind him.

The pity and reluctance that had just welled up in Shen Songchen's heart quickly faded, replaced by a cold smile.

He almost got fooled again.

As long as he acted pitiful, a man would come to help him.

Qin Fei in the washroom glanced at the small piece of fabric.

The color was so flashy.

So tight.

He wondered who it was meant to please.

But he still picked up the small piece of fabric with his hand and absentmindedly scrubbed it.

Shen Songchen looked at Qin Fei's bright red ears, and even that cold smile vanished, replaced by icy hostility in his eyes.

*

After changing his clothes, Song Yu went to the washroom again, only to find that Qin Fei had already finished washing all the clothes and sheets.

So fast.

009 Reminder: [The protagonist is an ability user, several times faster than ordinary people.] "

That's good."

Song Yu muttered softly.

He was the weakest of them all.

There were very few places to dry clothes in the apartment building, and when Qin Fei carried the basin over, the clothesline was already full.

Just as Song Yu was considering whether to add another rope, Qin Fei said, "Go find Jiang Ran. He's a wind-type ability user; he can help you dry your clothes directly."

Jiang Ran… Song Yu remembered who this person was.

Last time, when Shen Songchen wasn't around, he ate alone in the cafeteria and sat opposite this person. After finishing his meal, he looked up and found the other person staring at him.

Song Yu was about to greet him, but the other person immediately looked away. He

probably didn't want to talk to him.

He might not be willing to help him this time either.

Jiang Ran's room was on the second floor. Song Yu quietly followed behind Qin Fei. When they arrived at the door, seeing that Qin Fei was carrying a basin and couldn't knock, Song Yu wanted to reach out and take it from him. However, the man simply held the basin in one hand and used the other free hand to knock on the door.

Well,

he was stronger than he had imagined.

The door opened after a while. Jiang Ran looked like he hadn't woken up yet, his hair was messy, and he was wearing a black vest when he opened the door: "Who—"

Upon seeing a certain handsome face, he immediately woke up from his sleepiness, hurriedly put on his coat, and then haphazardly scratched his messy hair.

"Qin, Brother Qin."

Jiang Ran called out to Qin Fei, but his eyes kept glancing at Song Yu.

Qin Fei was annoyed, but he didn't show it. He handed over the basin: "Song Yu just washed the sheets, and I wanted you to help dry them."

"Oh, okay."

For some reason, Jiang Ran had been thinking about Song Yu a lot lately, and his face would flush when he saw him. He lowered his head and stretched his hand out in the air. Instantly, the sheets flew up by themselves.

After about two minutes, the sheets and other clothes were completely dry.

"Done."

After Jiang Ran finished speaking, he accidentally met Song Yu's bright eyes, which seemed to hold stars.

The boy's tone was very sincere: "Amazing!"

An OOC warning sounded, and Song Yu realized that he was currently in a playboy persona.

Playboy... He thought for a moment and added: "Can you come to my room to help me in the future?"

Jiang Ran's eyes widened, and his ears turned red: "...Okay, no, no problem!"

Qin Fei, who was standing to the side, had a serious face. He quickly folded the sheets and handed them to Song Yu: "Go back."

He saw Song Yu's eyes crinkle.

"So beautiful."

And she said those things to deliberately mislead people.

Turning to look at Jiang Ran, he saw him staring intently at Song Yu, completely captivated.

Qin Fei was incredibly annoyed. After Song Yu left, he told Jiang Ran to hurry up and get ready for their mission. Jiang Ran, half-asleep while changing, absentmindedly said, "Um, Brother Qin, I have a question for you."

Qin Fei crossed his arms, leaned against the door, and glanced at him, his words concise: "Go ahead."

"I heard Song Yu used to pursue you, is that right?"

Qin Fei was silent for a moment: "No, don't ask around."

Jiang Ran said "Oh": "I thought you disliked him because he was clinging to you."

Qin Fei was slightly taken aback, then frowned: "Do I look like I dislike him?"

"A little." Jiang Ran thought for a moment, "But you're like this with everyone, so I guess no one dares to pursue you."

No one dares?

How many times has she flirted with him, openly and secretly?

Qin Fei didn't even realize his lips were curving upwards, but the next moment, upon hearing Jiang Ran's words, his face immediately fell.

"Luckily you don't hate him. If I end up with him, you'll be in the way, hahaha!" "

..."

Qin Fei gave him a hard whack on the head: "Don't overthink it."

"I can't even think about it!" Jiang Ran winced in pain; their Captain Qin had really used his strength this time. "I heard he's dated over a dozen boyfriends, and he'll probably dump Shen Songchen soon. What if it's my turn?"

"What nonsense!"

Jiang Ran immediately shut up when he saw Qin Fei's aura drop.

Qin Fei's face grew increasingly grim.

Over a dozen boyfriends... he wondered if he'd even kissed any of them.

*

It's been three days already.

Song Yu buried herself under the covers, whimpering softly.

"I hate it so much..."

009 had already given the host the drug, but the host was terrified, her body still trembling. Having no other choice, it transformed into a fluffy ball and burrowed under the covers.

【Host.】

It called softly, nuzzling against Song Yu's cheek.

Song Yu's face, red and wet from crying, was suddenly touched by something furry. He was startled at first, then slowly calmed down.

For the past few days, that monster had been coming to his dreams every night, its actions becoming increasingly inappropriate, even repeatedly rubbing against his mouth. It

probably had some special ability; he was too weak to struggle and couldn't wake up.

He could only watch helplessly as the creature clung to his body.

Sticky, cold.

The aches and pains could be relieved by the medicine 009 gave him, but this feeling of being watched was terrifying.

Song Yu didn't know if this thing would continue to appear in his dreams tonight, and if it did, whether it would do something even worse.

He sniffed and got out of bed, still holding 009.

The marks on his body were getting worse, his lips were unnaturally red, and a little swollen. Song Yu had been wearing a mask whenever he went out, and he always took food from the cafeteria back to his room.

He was already the center of attention at the base, and now he was even more noticeable.

"What's going on? She's been keeping a low profile lately, wearing a mask."

"Who knows, she's up to her old tricks again."

"Did some guy kiss her so hard her lips are swollen she's embarrassed to show her face?"

Song Yu, who was passing by, thought, "...?"

Remembering his persona, and already annoyed, he turned around and glared at the person who had just said his lips were swollen from a man's kiss.

The other person was a rather young man, tall and thin, somewhat handsome. He felt a chill run down his spine from Song Yu's gaze and feigned composure, saying, "What...what are you looking at!"

Song Yu took off his mask, revealing red lips, a pungent, damp fragrance wafting over: "That's none of your business."

The man froze, his ears turning completely red. Staring at Song Yu's lips, he suddenly realized what he'd said and shouted, "Who wants to kiss you!"

Everyone in the cafeteria heard and looked at the two of them.

Everyone could tell something was off about the man's tone, as if he'd been hit where it hurt.

But his eyes remained fixed on Song Yu.

Song Yu ignored him, put his mask back on, got his food, and went back to his room.

He didn't have much of an appetite, only eating a third before pushing the food aside.

Shen Songchen had been going out a lot lately, so Song Yu thought he had caught a cold and brought him some cold medicine and hot water, telling him to rest well.

Song Yu put away the cold medicine and then took out some ointment from the drawer.

He took off his trousers, sat on the edge of the bed, lifted his foot, and rubbed his toes against the sheet, slowly applying the ointment to his inner thigh.

Because of his persona, his underwear was always the flashy, tight type, which didn't bother him.

Halfway through applying the ointment, someone knocked on the door. He

hesitated for a moment about whether to put his trousers back on, but then, thinking about the sticky ointment clinging to them, Song Yu decided not to.

He hid behind the door and slowly opened it a tiny crack.

Seeing Qin Fei's face, Song Yu moved closer to the doorway: "Is something wrong?"

Qin Fei held cold medicine and a box of chocolates in his hand. The box of chocolates was what they'd received after searching for supplies yesterday; only the team's ability users had them.

He handed them to him.

Song Yu couldn't carry it with one hand, so he simply didn't take it: "Shen Songchen already gave me cold medicine."

Qin Fei paused, a sour feeling rising in his heart, his tone strange: "Why is the door so small? Is Shen Songchen in your room?"

Song Yu subconsciously took a step back: "No..."

His voice was very soft, and Qin Fei thought he was guilty, so he moved closer: "Or did you bring another man in? Who? Jiang Ran?"

Song Yu was stunned for a moment, and after realizing what he meant, he was so angry that his blood rushed to his head, and he opened the door directly: "See for yourself if there's anyone in the room!"

Qin Fei no longer cared whether there was anyone in the room.

His gaze was drawn to Song Yu's two slender and white legs.

The boy's legs were very well-proportioned, wrapped in supple skin, white with a pinkish tinge, as if you could squeeze water out of them with the slightest pressure.

Qin Fei's breathing became heavy.

When his gaze returned to that beautiful face, he was stunned—

why was he crying?

Song Yu's eyelashes were already wet, the corners of his eyes were red, and his nose was starting to twitch. He stubbornly bit his lower lip, refusing to make a sound.

"You..." Qin Fei's first reaction was to reach out and wipe his tears, but remembering the calluses on his hands, he withdrew his hand and took out a tissue from his pocket.

Song Yu turned his face away.

He ignored him. He

looked pitiful. He

was almost like a little kitten.

Qin Fei felt a bit perverted; on one hand, he felt guilty and heartbroken seeing Song Yu cry, and on the other hand, he wanted to see him cry.

"I was wrong."

Song Yu was stunned, thinking he had misheard.

However, the next moment, he saw the tall base captain lower his head and admit his mistake: "I was wrong, I shouldn't have talked to you like that."

Song Yu was embarrassed instead; he pursed his lips, his misty eyes staring blankly at the other man.

Qin Fei wiped his face again.

This time he didn't dodge.

Song Yu's face was soft, wet and warm through the wet tissue, mixed with fragrance, making Qin Fei's muscles tense involuntarily.

"That's enough..."

Song Yu's voice was soft, still nasal from crying.

She hadn't felt anything while crying, but now that she was done, she felt ashamed.

So she started trying to save face.

"I didn't cry because of you."

"I... had something else to do."

"Hmm, what is it?" Qin Fei's voice was a little unnatural, as it was the first time he'd ever tried to comfort someone. He smelled a faint scent of Chinese medicine on Song Yu. "You've applied medicine again? Were you bitten by some kind of insect?"

Suddenly having someone to rely on, Song Yu stopped hiding anything and poured out her heart to him about being haunted by the strange things in her dreams these past few days.

Qin Fei's expression grew increasingly serious.

"Where are the wounds?"

Song Yu pulled her collar to the side, revealing several red marks on her fair shoulder.

Qin Fei stared at them carefully for a while. "They might be plants."

In the apocalypse, many plants and animals had been corrupted and evolved, and it was common for them to attach themselves to humans and absorb nutrients.

But no one could survive these corrupted monsters.

Perhaps, this monster didn't want to kill Song Yu.

Qin Fei looked at the boy's strikingly beautiful face.

Both humans and monsters have aesthetic sense.

Humans like beautiful things.

Monsters naturally do too.

So, the monster simply mistook Song Yu for a pollinating pistil.

Realizing this wasn't a trivial matter, Qin Fei said, "It should be a mutated plant."

Song Yu was frightened upon hearing this, his voice trembling, "What...what kind of plant is it?"

He was afraid it was a man-eating flower that could swallow him whole.

Qin Fei: "When you were entangled, did you see anything?"

Song Yu shook his head, "I couldn't open my eyes."

It seemed this monster had evolved to possess special abilities. Qin Fei softened his voice, "Besides entangled you, what else did it do each time? Don't rush, think slowly."

Song Yu loosened his lips, which he had bitten until they were soft, "It entangled my hands, feet, and waist."

"I couldn't open my eyes, I couldn't wake up."

"I didn't have the strength to push it away..."

"It was very cold."

Qin Fei's eyelids twitched, "What about the smell?"

Song Yu actually smelled something, but couldn't quite place it.

The smell of plants was generally similar.

It felt like he had smelled it somewhere before.

Song Yu didn't think of human scent, assuming he had seen this type of plant before.

Qin Fei lowered his eyes and pondered for a while: "Do you have any wounds that haven't been treated with medicine?"

Song Yu looked at him, puzzled.

Qin Fei explained: "They might leave a smell."

Song Yu seemed thoughtful: "I was just applying medicine, but I haven't applied it to my right leg yet."

Just as he finished speaking, he heard a voice from above: "Is it alright?"

Song Yu looked at him blankly: "Huh?"

"I need to smell that."

← Previous Chapter Next Chapter →