Ye Yuyao unconsciously glanced at Huo Zheng’s thoroughly wrapped body, subconsciously feeling that Xu Qingnan’s evaluation could not be agreed with.
In Ye Yuyao’s view, Huo Zheng’s physique wasn’t as good as Xu Qingnan’s.
Following the inclination of his heart, Ye Yuyao’s gaze drifted over to Xu Qingnan.
The tactical windbreaker had already been stripped off by its owner, who was now wearing only a black short-sleeved shirt. Free of any extraneous design, it was a minimalist, loose-fitting style—the kind of basic staple everyone owned, a piece that would instantly lower the wearer’s presence upon being put on.
Yet right now, it naturally contoured to the curves of the man’s chest without appearing tight. The half-sleeves also conformed perfectly to the beautifully shaped muscle lines of his broad upper arms, avoiding any tight constriction. Furthermore, stripped of the buff of any tailored pattern-making, it more honestly displayed his wide, powerful shoulders without a shred of cover.
It carried an unstated, crisp sense of sex appeal.
The neckline was a very common crew cut, which instinctively drew one’s gaze to the man’s slender, powerful neck and the prominent Adam’s apple anchoring the center. Beneath the fair skin wound pale cyan veins, luring someone into wanting to leave a mark or two upon it.
He suddenly recalled how, during their first meeting, Ren Xubai had stood at precisely the angle he occupied now, spouting various sexually harassing remarks.
Back then, Xu Qingnan had even been wearing a black shirt.
Which was even sexier.
No wonder.
The idiom that suddenly popped into the mind of Ye Yuyao—who was currently standing in that exact same spot was human nature.
!
Ye Yuyao was abruptly scorched by this word.
What on earth am I thinking?!
Meanwhile, the backs of Huo Zheng’s ears were burning with dry heat.
Not daring to even look at Xu Qingnan, he feigned composure, bypassed Xu Qingnan directly, and locked eyes with Ye Yuyao.
The atmosphere between the two of them suddenly turned very strange.
Originally, they shared the normal, developing relationship of potential matching candidates. But right now, likely because both of them had the exact same person occupying their minds especially Ye Yuyao, who had just mentally compared Huo Zheng and Xu Qingnan and even awarded the victory to Xu Qingnan different degrees of guilty conscience emerged when their gazes met.
“Huo Zheng,” Ye Yuyao coughed, steadying his wits as he offered the same gentle smile as usual, “Are you alright? Be careful not to hurt your hands.”
Huo Zheng lowered his head as well, continuing to pick up the shards of glass. “Yeah, I know. I accidentally broke them.”
Xu Qingnan, standing right beside them, hadn’t noticed the weird atmosphere between the two at all. He stepped forward and handed Huo Zheng a pack of tissues. “Use these to pick them up.”
His tone carried the same lack of fluctuation as always, as if evaluating someone else’s physique just moments prior hadn’t been his doing at all.
Though when Xu Qingnan had spoken those words earlier, his voice hadn’t carried much fluctuation either.
Huo Zheng’s physique is pretty good… good… good…
Huo Zheng could only see two straight, slender calves in his field of vision. Without even raising his head, he took the tissues with stiff movements.
Their fingers brushed against each other.
Huo Zheng retracted his hand as if electrocuted. The pack of tissues dropped to the ground, and when Huo Zheng reached down to retrieve them, he failed to pick them up on the first try.
His ear-redness intensified further. Even though nobody asked him, he volunteered an explanation anyway, his tone carrying a veneer of unconvincing, forced coldness: “Didn’t catch it.”
Had it been the earlier Ye Yuyao, he would have spotted Huo Zheng’s anomaly at a single glance, but unfortunately, Ye Yuyao was currently feeling equally unsettled.
“Right. I’m going to sleep first.” Having thoroughly disrupted the emotional pools of both men, Xu Qingnan flicked his sleeves and turned away. A trace of imperceptible fatigue lingered in his brows and eyes; today’s activity volume had been far too heavy, leaving his energy somewhat depleted.
Inside the tent, three folding beds lined the perimeter against the tent walls, while a low table sat in the open space at the center. Xu Qingnan selected a bed closest to the entrance and lay down.
Huo Zheng and Ye Yuyao both watched Xu Qingnan’s retreating back in unison, then withdrew their gazes simultaneously, registering the direction of each other’s line of sight.
Awkwardness spread silently and unfelt.
Ye Yuyao: “…I’ll help you.”
Huo Zheng: “…Thanks.”
Xu Qingnan paid no mind to this interlude. His wristband began vibrating, reminding him to send out his heart-throbbing goodnight message.
Tsh.
He had to send another one.
With practiced efficiency, Xu Qingnan tapped open Cheng Yanzhi’s avatar to express his affirmation of his cooking partner.
At precisely eleven o’clock at night, both tents extinguished their lights.
Xu Qingnan did not sleep peacefully.
His mind even drifted to events from a long time ago.
The disorientation upon first arriving on Silver Frost Star, friendless and alone, with only the luggage packed by his aunt. Inside was the money from her secretly selling the house behind her husband’s back, along with an admission letter she had managed to secure for him.
Before his eyes flashed the tear-stained face of his aunt, filled with guilt, heartache, and helpless powerlessness: “Nannan, this is all your aunt can do to help you.”
Silver Frost Star was vastly larger and far more advanced than the small planet of his home. There were no familiar natural landscapes and waters only cold, towering skyscrapers, an interstellar net visible even with its transparency dialed to the maximum, displaying a faint blue-purple hue, various types of flying vehicles roaring overhead, and streams of people rushing past in hurried footsteps.
If he were an Omega, the local Omega Protection Association would register his information and arrange housing for him.
If he were an Alpha, the local government would dispatch him for a spiritual power grading assessment and place him into an underage Alpha shelter.
Yet nobody had the time or energy to bother with a Beta who had arrived here from some remote planet.
A Beta who wouldn’t go berserk, possessed stable physiological traits, and lacked a distinct personality was easily overlooked anywhere.
A fifteen-year-old Xu Qingnan lived alone on this planet where he shared not a single intersection with anyone, growing increasingly silent.
As if he had already been swallowed whole.
Cheng Yanzhi, assigned to the first shift of night watch, didn’t even go inside his tent. The night watch location arranged by the production crew also featured two swings woven from rattan vines. The night was dead silent, with tiny pinpricks of fluorescent light flickering amidst the surrounding bushes, lending the scene quite a bit of atmospheric charm.
Sitting on one, swaying his legs, Cheng Yanzhi stared with rapt attention at the photograph in his hand.
How could someone like Xu Qingnan possibly exist?
Looking cold and unyielding, like an obtuse, unromantic rock, yet he enjoyed looking at scenery.
He could stand quietly in silence by himself for a long, long time.
At that exact moment, Xu Qingnan exuded a mysterious and profound sense of storytelling, evoking an irresistible urge to delve deeper and explore.
It was this attraction that compelled Cheng Yanzhi to snap this photograph.
The wristband strapped against his wrist vibrated. Waking in a daze, Xu Qingnan saw a sliver of moonlight filtering from the outside, illuminating a seam of the tent flap. The moonlight was cool as water, and the surrounding environment held only the breathing of unfamiliar people, amplified in the dark, enclosed space.
Still carrying the irritability and emotional stagnation dragged out by his messy dreams, Xu Qingnan wore a chillingly sour expression. Frowning, he stepped out of the tent.
From a distance, he spotted Ren Xubai waving at him, keeping his voice down: “Xu-ge! Over here!”
“Look, there’s even a swing! I tested it out, it’s very sturdy,” Ren Xubai tapped the tip of his toe, and the swing began to sway in rhythm with his movement. “Won’t Xu-ge give me a push?”
The young man standing before him was vibrant and high-spirited, looking carefree as though he had grown up in a privileged, enlightened household.
Yet Xu Qingnan had witnessed the disheveled state he was in while being hunted down, as well as the flash of ruthless malice that crossed his eyes when discussing the incident.
He couldn’t even recuperate and apply his medicine at home.
He really knew how to put on an act.
Radiating irritation and indifference from head to toe, Xu Qingnan harbored no qualms about defining him with the most venomous internal thoughts.
Grasping the swing’s suspension rope with one hand, Xu Qingnan stated flatly, “Don’t waste time.”
“Play for a bit, it’s fine,” Ren Xubai attempted an invitation. “It’s really fun, won’t Xu-ge give it a try? Or I could push you instead?”
Ignoring him entirely while still gripping the suspension rope, Xu Qingnan bent down, locked gazes with Ren Xubai, and stated coldly, “Either apply the medicine or sit quietly.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Ren Xubai clearly detected the shift in Xu Qingnan. “Morning crankiness? Otherwise, go back and sleep a bit more. It’s fine even if I don’t get my medicine applied.”
Resolutely pivoting on his heel, Xu Qingnan walked away.
Apply it or don’t, see if I care.
Walking a short distance away, Xu Qingnan allowed the darkness to wash over him unhindered, rubbing his fingertips together.
A cigarette abruptly materialized before his eyes.
Following the hand back up, Xu Qingnan locked eyes with Ren Xubai’s gaze. The latter was smiling faintly, dangling the cigarette slightly. “Want one?”
“…” Xu Qingnan found himself unable to refuse.
Raising the cigarette to his lips, Xu Qingnan realized he lacked a lighter. Ren Xubai promptly produced one, striking a sharp click as a spark ignited in the dark, illuminating Xu Qingnan’s face. His brow pressed downward, revealing unmistakable irritation, while his slender eyes carried a sharp edge that amplified his oppressive aura. He naturally lowered his head, lighting the cigarette directly off Ren Xubai’s flame.
“How does the ta—”
“Quiet.”
Ren Xubai clamped his mouth shut.
His gaze remained fixed on Xu Qingnan’s face, wreathed in tendrils of curling smoke.
His features flickered in and out of view, looking cold and rugged while his gaze possessed a distant depth. His pale pink, thin lips clamped onto the filter, taking a shallow draw before parting to expertly exhale a plume of white smoke. The hand holding the cigarette pinched the paper tube as his slender, pale index finger tapped lightly against the remaining length, sending gray-white ash fluttering away into the darkness.
Ren Xubai instinctively reached out to catch it, catching nothing at all.
The movement drew Xu Qingnan’s attention.
The man cast a casual, indifferent glance his way.
Ren Xubai’s breathing hitched, his soul shivering with a thrill.
How can anyone… look so sexy even while smoking?