10

 Song Yu's eyes were a very special light color, and his skin was translucent white, as if there was no pigment.

Even if his expression was not big, it could be vividly reflected on his face.

For example, now, his surprised and embarrassed appearance was like a frightened rabbit.

It seems that he has been deceived many times.

It is no wonder that he has been deceived. There are probably many men who want to deceive him. There is one in this room.

Chen Shuan glanced at Pei Feng. The man looked unwell and seemed very unhappy, but he still lowered his voice to comfort the boy next to him.

"Then... then was your treatment effective? At that time?"

Song Yu's expression changed a little, but his ears were still visibly red: "Yes... my body felt better."

He said his body felt better, completely unaware that the sentence was somewhat ambiguous. This made the other two men look at those soft lips in unison.

Chen Shuan did not continue the topic and filled in something on the form.

Contrary to stereotypes about doctors, his handwriting was neat and vigorous, written with a fine black fountain pen that made his pale fingers stand out.

"This kind of symptom has appeared a few times at the base. It's because the pollutants have evolved and are using humans as mates for pollination," Chen Shuan slowly capped his pen. "But your case is more complicated."

Song Yu lowered his eyes.

Chen Shuan stared at his curled eyelashes and continued, "There are medications that can alleviate it, but it will also take time for the pollutants left in your body to metabolize."

"Also, the symptoms will lessen, but they won't disappear completely. If necessary, you can seek intimacy with your lover to alleviate them."

Song Yu roughly understood: "Thank you..."

Chen Shuan didn't say anything more, stood up, and put on his white coat: "I need to have my blood drawn."

Song Yu pursed his lips, rolled up his sleeve, revealing a section of pale arm.

Chen Shuan took a sterilized disposable syringe from the cabinet and tied a rubber band around Song Yu's wrist.

The boy's wrist was very thin, a small bone protruded, and the veins were very fine.

Chen Shuan's expression was focused, and soon, a small tube of blood was drawn. Pei Feng immediately pressed an alcohol swab onto the needle mark on Song Yu's arm.

Strangely, even though it was just a blood draw, he felt that Song Yu had been wronged.

It was as if he couldn't bear to see the boy suffer even the slightest pain.

Seeing Chen Shuan get up, he patted Song Yu's shoulder and instructed, "I'll go with him to get the medicine. You sit here and wait for a while, don't wander off."

Song Yu nodded.

After the two left, the room quieted down, and Song Yu finally puffed out his cheeks, his expression a mixture of anger and shame: [How could he lie to me!]

009: [Host...]

Song Yu: [No wonder the revenge progress bar didn't rewind, it turns out he's already taking revenge on me!]

009: ...Hmm.

It's not exactly revenge.

009: [Host, according to the original plot, you will be offline in a month. At this stage, the protagonist has already broken up with you.]

[However, the plot has an extension period, you can postpone it, there's no rush for now.] [

And according to your character setting, you have to flirt with every good-looking man you encounter, like Pei Feng and Chen Shu'an. More missions about them will be added later.]

Song Yu hadn't expected that doing missions in an S-level world would be so uncertain.

And he even had to flirt… Just thinking about Chen Shu'an's appearance made Song Yu want to back down. He'd probably be thrown into a lab for research.

The fact that Shen Songchen had lied to him, and the unfinished plot… Song Yu's mind was a mess, so he simply put all of that aside and buried his head in his arms to rest.

So when Pei Feng returned to the room with the medicine, he saw that small bundle, lying on the table, his light-colored hair looking very fluffy and soft.

He tried hard to suppress the urge to reach out and ruffle the boy's hair, and said softly, "The medicine's ready, you can go back now."

Hearing this, Song Yu got up from his chair.

The two left.

Chen Shu'an returned ten minutes later.

The usually quiet office was faintly filled with the scent of flowers.

He couldn't help but take a deep breath, but the scent vanished without a trace. The walk back wasn't far, about ten minutes.

It was already dark, and only a few lights were on in the building, appearing scattered. Song Yu clutched the medicine to his chest. 

As he approached the apartment building, Pei Feng, who had been walking beside him, suddenly spoke up: 

"You got tricked into kissing me." 

"..." Song Yu hadn't expected him to bring this up. His cheeks flushed, and he looked a little unhappy: "Do you think I'm stupid?" 

"Ah, no, no—" Pei Feng certainly didn't mean that. He hadn't intended to bring it up, but he was still puzzled. 

"Aren't you and Shen Songchen a couple? Why would he trick you into doing this?" Song Yu pursed his lips and frowned: "I don't know." 

Seeing his expression, Pei Feng didn't dare ask further and stopped at the door: "Message me if anything happens. I'll be at the base for a while." Song Yu nodded, and just as he turned to step onto the stairs, 

009 popped up: [Host, mission here. You need to flirt with Pei Feng within half an hour. Time starts now.] 

[Reward: 1000 points.] Song Yu was starting to have a headache. His mind was blank. 

He quickly turned around and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Pei Feng still standing there. 

How was he supposed to flirt with him… He had only ever approached men before, but never actually flirted with them. 

Although Pei Feng had a good temper, he was also an ability user, and if he failed to flirt and angered him, he might get beaten up. “What’s wrong?” Pei Feng saw Song Yu’s hesitant expression. 

“Are you feeling unwell?” “No…” Song Yu rolled his eyes, unable to think of anything to say for a moment, and in his haste, he stalled for time. “What did you ask me just now? I didn’t hear you.” He seemed a little slow on the uptake. 

But soon, Pei Feng repeated the question: “I said, Shen Songchen is your boyfriend, so why would he lie to you and do all this?” “Hmm…” Song Yu hesitated for a moment, still unable to think of anything flirty to say, and absentmindedly replied, 

“Then what do you think?” Pei Feng was stunned. He had indeed thought about this question on the way back. But those words weren’t suitable to say to Song Yu. 

But now that the other party had asked… Pei Feng’s Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably, the emotions in his dark eyes hidden by the dim streetlights: 

“Maybe it’s because you’re unwilling to kiss him first.” …Hmm? Song Yu’s thoughts were pulled back by Pei Feng’s words, her eyes widening. 

“Your initiative in kissing him is different from being forced to endure it for your boyfriend.” Pei Feng stared at Song Yu’s face, his lips unconsciously sliding to hers.

Earlier at the research institute, he had noticed that Song Yu's lips were beautifully shaped, perfect for kissing.

His throat went dry, and Pei Feng, unable to control himself, continued, "After all, if it were me, I'd also want you to kiss me first, or even kiss me with your saliva."

Song Yu stared blankly at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

His cheeks belatedly flushed.

The atmosphere became quiet and strange.

Song Yu subconsciously bit his lip, and the next second, he heard the notification sound indicating the task was complete, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Completed… but he hadn't even started flirting yet.

Since it was done, Song Yu didn't dwell on it, immediately breaking the somewhat awkward atmosphere: "I'm going back."

With that, he turned and strode into the apartment without looking back.

Pei Feng was left standing there, seemingly lost in thought.

The man began to wonder if his words had been abrupt, which was why Song Yu was unhappy talking to him. But he had been telling the truth.

If Song Yu were willing to be his wife, he definitely wouldn't be able to control himself every day.

Perhaps he would even trick Song Yu into kissing him first, like Shen Songchen had done.

On the dimly lit street near the apartment, the tall, aloof-looking man nervously touched the back of his neck, pondering whether the boy was angry on his way back.

*

When Song Yu returned to the apartment, Shen Songchen wasn't there.

He took the medicine out of the bag, intending to get some hot water from the kettle, only to find it was already full. Steam rose from the kettle; Shen Songchen must have filled it before leaving.

Song Yu poured himself a cup of hot water, broke three or four pills as instructed on his medical record, and swallowed them. He then prepared to take a shower and rest.

His phone vibrated several times.

He opened it—a

message from Pei Feng.

【Sorry, I didn't mean what I said earlier; I was just guessing.】

【Don't be angry.】

【But you still need to take your boyfriend's lie seriously.】

Reminded by the other person, Song Yu remembered being pinned down and kissed for a long time by Shen Songchen a couple of days ago. His face flushed red. He put down his phone, discussed with 009 about breaking up that night, and then went to the bathroom with a sullen face.

However, after he finished washing up, he was immediately picked up by the other person, who gently kissed his lips.

Song Yu: "?"

Another kiss?

He was so angry that he immediately pushed Shen Songchen away: "You lied to me, the saliva of a superhuman can't be cured, you... why did you do that?"

Song Yu wasn't good at arguing, and his voice changed slightly when he questioned him, not so much because he was angry, but because he felt wronged.

Shen Songchen was slightly surprised at first, then seemed to remember something: "Pei Feng told you?"

Song Yu frowned and said fiercely: "Don't misunderstand him, it was Dr. Chen who told you!"

Shen Songchen was jealous. He had only been talking to other men for a few days, and his face darkened: "How old is he? Why would he talk to you about these things? What did he say to you?" "

?"

Realizing that he had almost been changed of topic, Song Yu's eyes widened with anger: "These things are not important, just tell me why you lied to me?"

Shen Songchen readily admitted it, without any embarrassment or guilt at being exposed: "Because I wanted to kiss you."

"Didn't you only get together with me to make Qin Fei jealous?"

Song Yu asked incredulously.

Shen Songchen wanted revenge on him precisely because of this.

But now, even knowing this, should he continue to be with him?

"So we've been together for so long, and you still don't want to be intimate with me." Shen Songchen confessed his most naked desires, "But I'm your boyfriend, and I really want to be intimate with you. Only by lying to you that it can cure you will you be willing."

After saying this, Shen Songchen suddenly lowered his eyes: "I was wrong."

"Even if I lied to you and did these things, you still wouldn't like me."

Song Yu noticed the other person's low mood.

The man's expression was dejected.

He seemed to have upset him.

Song Yu didn't know how things had turned out this way; it seemed like the situation had been reversed in an instant. Originally, he should have been the one to confront Shen Songchen...

but by the time he realized it, he had already grabbed the man's sleeve.

Song Yu opened his mouth, subconsciously wanting to say something comforting, but the system in his brain immediately issued an OOC warning.

Song Yu slowly withdrew his hand.

However, this alone was enough to comfort Shen Songchen; self-pity was useless. He knew Song Yu would sympathize with him, and he would use that sympathy to maintain his boyfriend's position.

Shen Songchen took a deep breath: "I won't lie to you anymore."

This attitude made it impossible for Song Yu to stay angry. But then he heard the other continue—

"So, can we just kiss when we want to?"

"..."

Song Yu didn't want to talk to him, but the next second he was kissed on the cheek.

The words circled on his lips but he swallowed them back down. He didn't know how to bring up breaking up.

Fortunately, 009 said that this plot point was on the main character's romantic storyline and not very important. For now, they should focus on getting the main character to help the base complete the vaccine.

In the end, his argument lasted less than ten minutes before Shen Songchen hugged him tightly again.

*

For the next few days, Song Yu stayed in his apartment and didn't go out.

Communication fees were expensive in the apocalypse, but Pei Feng and Qin Fei's text messages came in like they were free.

To maintain his carefree persona, Song Yu often texted them.

Actually, judging from the proper messages Song Yu sent, he was far from being a playboy. However, the two men on the other end of the phone started asking about his relationship status, so the system automatically determined that his character was being maintained.

It's just that Shen Songchen's storyline was stalled.

In the original plot, after the base learned that Shen Songchen was a healing-type ability user, they soon sent someone to find him and persuade him to cooperate in vaccine development.

But now five days have passed.

Song Yu didn't know what went wrong and could only continue waiting.

Two days later, instead of Shen Songchen being contacted, he himself was contacted.

Four people came, and 009 said they were subordinates of the base's higher-ups. They explained their purpose: they had found a substance in Song Yu's blood that could counteract pollutants and hoped he would cooperate in vaccine development experiments.

Song Yu was surprised; how did it become him?

009 had no idea either.

Seeing Song Yu's expression, the group assumed he was unwilling and began to use a combination of persuasion and threats, eventually resorting to moral blackmail.

Song Yu pursed her lips, and upon hearing the familiar voice, she hid behind the man as if she had found a savior.

Shen Songchen's face was grim.

The main base conducts research on everyone with superpowers, but most don't meet their research standards.

Unexpectedly, Song Yu does.

Just as the two sides were at an impasse, the boy's clear voice rang out.

"I'll go."

Song Yu patted Shen Songchen's arm. Now that it was his turn, cooperating with the experiment like Shen Songchen should also advance the plot.

Besides, it was for good.

Although the data from this post-apocalyptic world would eventually be recycled, Song Yu hoped that before he left, humanity would no longer live in such an environment.

*

Song Yu quickly packed his luggage and was taken to the research institute. To ensure the progress of the research and the accuracy of the experimental data, he couldn't leave at will.

One of the people wearing a work badge arranged a room for him. The entire room was filled with the smell of disinfectant, instantly reminding Song Yu of the days he spent in the hospital before his death.

The person in charge of the entire project was Chen Shu'an. Song Yu's room was next to the men's room, connected by a sliding door for easy data recording.

The conditions provided in the research institute were better; hot water and fresh vegetables were provided in abundance.

Chen Shuan was serious and meticulous when working, and not very talkative, but he wasn't harsh on him, nor did he draw blood from him three times a day.

Song Yu brought his phone, but the research institute was in the basement, and the signal was intermittent, making it difficult for him to even reply to messages, let alone go online. In the end, he didn't want to look at his phone anymore, so he simply had 009 play movies.

Vaccine development takes time, and three days passed in the blink of an eye. Song Yu spent his days eating, drinking, sleeping, and watching movies, and he even gained weight since he arrived.

Life was quite comfortable, but the progress bar was only at 65%.

He would be offline in less than a month. At this rate, would he be able to get his lunchbox on time?

While he was worrying about these things, someone suddenly hugged him tightly from behind.

Song Yu was startled and let out a soft cry, his shoulders trembling. He instinctively tried to kick the other person's vulnerable parts.

The other person probably noticed his movement and stretched out their leg to block his leg.

The soft flesh on Song Yu's thigh was very sensitive, his leg went weak, and the other person pulled him up by the waist.

Just as Song Yu thought he was about to log off early and was about to cry for help, the man behind him finally spoke: "Little Yu, I missed you so much."

Song Yu heard a familiar voice: "...Shen Songchen?"

"Mmm...I missed you so much."

His breath brushed against Song Yu's cheek, hot and itchy.

The boy struggled for a moment, then turned around, and Shen Songchen hugged him from the front again.

After being bored for several days, suddenly seeing a familiar person made Song Yu feel dependent, and he obediently let the other hug him.

The three days that Shen Songchen couldn't see him felt like an eternity. Soon, he let go of him, carefully checked Song Yu's arm, and asked worriedly, "How many times did they draw blood?"

"Just once."

"Did they bully you? What did they make you do?"

"..." Song Yu was a little embarrassed to say that he had done nothing but sleep and eat for the past three days, and he suspected that this project was like raising piglets. "I didn't do anything, just observed what I did every day."

Shen Songchen saw that he had probably rested well these past few days, his cheeks were as white as snow, with a slight healthy pink tinge.

So he lightly pecked him on the cheek: "Was I trying to kick your boyfriend just now?"

Song Yu's ears turned slightly red.

He'd been caught.

He looked away and immediately changed the subject: "How did you get in?"

The research institute was very secure; you needed identification to enter. He hadn't expected Shen Songchen to be able to get in.

"I borrowed Pei Feng's ID." Shen Songchen pulled a bunch of snacks from his coat pocket—salty, sour, sweet, all sorts of things—it looked like he'd been saving them up for a long time. He placed them on the table next to Song Yu's bed, then looked around the room until his gaze fell on the door connecting to the next room.

"Why is there another door over there?"

Song Yu honestly answered, "That's Dr. Chen's room."

Shen Songchen's expression changed: "He arranged for you to stay here?"

"Yes, he's the project manager."

Song Yu could sense Shen Songchen's displeasure, so she picked up a gummy candy from the table, tore open the wrapper, and tiptoed to offer it to the man's lips.

Shen Songchen's expression immediately brightened.

He hadn't seen Song Yu for three days and missed him terribly; now that he saw her, he didn't want to leave.

The doorbell rang at that moment—

Song Yu, startled, immediately asked, "...Who is it?"

"It's me," Chen Shuan's cold voice rang out.

Actually, even if Shen Songchen had been discovered, it wouldn't have been a particularly serious problem, but Song Yu instinctively didn't dare let the other man in. He suddenly had the unsettling feeling of secretly seeing someone behind his husband's back.

His earlobe was lightly rubbed.

Song Yu's spine went numb, and he let out a soft groan.

He glared at Shen Songchen, who then kissed him on the lips.

Song Yu was terrified and immediately turned away, saying to Chen Shuan standing outside the door, "I...I'm already asleep. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Chen Shuan didn't say anything more, and soon, the footsteps faded into the distance. Even

after he left, Song Yu still felt guilty, so he urged Shen Songchen to leave.

Shen Songchen looked very reluctant. Song Yu pursed his lips, grabbed his collar, and kissed him on the lips, his voice pitiful, "Is it okay now?"

Only then did Shen Songchen leave.

But after only a few steps, he bumped into a man at the corner.

A man's sixth sense immediately made them realize who the other was. Their eyes met briefly in mid-air before quickly looking away, each going their own way.

*

In the original story, vaccine development took quite a long time, but Song Yu didn't know how long he would need to stay here.

After that, Shen Songchen would come over every few days.

Each time he came, he would bring something—sometimes snacks, sometimes flower petals, sometimes books.

These were all precious in the apocalypse.

One afternoon, no sooner had Shen Songchen left than Chen Shuan knocked on the door.

When the door opened, the man stared at Song Yu's abnormally red lips, his voice cold: "How's your skin hunger?"

Song Yu was stunned, then argued, "That's not skin hunger..."

Chen Shuan didn't refute, but continued to ask, "How's the condition?"

"Much better." Song Yu had forgotten to take his medication from the apartment, and Chen Shuan had carefully prepared the daily dose for him. He thought the condition would affect the research. "Is there a problem?"

Chen Shuan: "I just thought you would need intimate contact."

Song Yu lowered his eyes guiltily.

009 suddenly sounded: [Side quest triggered.] Task: You need to have physical contact with Chen Shu'an. The degree of contact will be automatically determined by the system. You have two hours to complete the task. Upon completion, you will receive 1500 points. The timer starts now.

Song Yu pursed his lips, a troubled expression on his face.

These past few days, he'd spent a lot of time with Chen Shu'an. The man was very serious and focused when working, and didn't talk much, only occasionally writing something in a notebook, presumably recording experimental data.

In short, he seemed aloof and unapproachable.

Song Yu hadn't even come within a meter of him yet.

009 encouraged him: [Host, you can do it.]

Song Yu hesitated for a moment, then backed down.

He planned to wait until the last minute, pretending to fall and accidentally bump into the man.

Just then, someone came over: "Dr. Chen, another contaminant has arrived over there, and they need you to take a look!"

Could it be this contaminant?

Had it been captured by humans?

Song Yu's breathing became rapid.

Recently, the base's ability users had been actively searching for plant-based contaminants, and many had died as a result. Chen Shu'an frowned slightly, turning to leave with the messenger, when his arm was grabbed.

Turning around, Song Yu's face was pale. He clutched Chen Shu'an's sleeve tightly and pleaded softly, "Take me with you."

Chen Shu'an looked at him. "It'll be very dangerous near the pollutants."

"I won't run around. I'll just stay by your side, okay?" Song Yu finally whispered again, "Please..."

The person next to him had been at the base for years and knew how ruthless Dr. Chen at the research institute could be. Seeing Song Yu's pitiful appearance, he was about to say a few words of comfort when he heard Chen Shu'an speak softly.

"Let's go."

*

The pollutants were bizarre and enormous, most of them toxic, and of great experimental value.

After being captured, they would be kept in special cages placed in a designated area outside the base's perimeter.

Every time one was captured, many people would come to watch.

Several people in protective suits had already collected samples and placed them in the trunk of the research institute's vehicle.

Chen Shuan glanced at the giant carnivorous plant in the cage, then turned to look at the boy sitting beside him: "Are you relieved now?"

Song Yu froze, even stuttering as he spoke: "You...you...what did you say?"

"Weren't you worried that this time it would be the vine that took you away?"

Chen Shuan stared at his face. It was something that had nothing to do with him, yet he had gotten involved.

Simply because he had never seen Song Yu with such a worried expression before.

A sense of annoyance rose within him, though Chen Shuan didn't know what it meant, yet he continued uncontrollably: "Some pollutants can evolve human-like thoughts and treat humans as companions. Do you know what would happen if you were accidentally taken away by it this time?"

A passerby on the research institute's vehicle caught a glimpse of the coldest and most aloof Dr. Chen in the base, whispering something in the ear of a handsome young man beside him.

The handsome young man sat there upright, biting his lower lip, his eyes red and moist.

Seemingly having heard something he didn't want to hear, the boy slightly turned his face away, while Chen Shuan continued to shift his position, his lips still moving.

In the end, the boy looked extremely pitiful, his entire face flushed red, sniffling, huddled in a corner on the verge of tears.

*

After returning to the research institute, Song Yu realized that the mission was already complete. He

had almost forgotten about the mission...

However, startled by Chen Shuan's words, Song Yu didn't have the energy to think about it, quickly washed up, and went to bed.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt someone climb onto his side of the bed and hug his waist.

It must be Shen Songchen.

The other party had done this several times before.

Song Yu was so sleepy that his eyes seemed glued together, and he was too lazy to open them to pay attention to the other party, letting the other party hug him.

"I heard from others that you and Chen Shuan came out of the research institute together today." Shen Songchen suddenly spoke, his tone unreadable.

Song Yu gave a soft hum through his nose, weak and feeble.

"I also heard them say you're a slut, that you hooked up with Chen Shu'an so quickly."

...Wh-what?

Song Yu's spine went numb; he was completely awake now. He opened his eyes, trying to turn around, but Shen Songchen held him tightly, and he couldn't break free.

"They saw him kiss your ear, and they said that I, as your boyfriend, didn't satisfy you, which is why you were with someone else." Shen Songchen took a deep breath on the back of the boy's neck and said in a low voice, "Xiao Yu, is that true?

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