TL: Hua

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Chapter 32

Ji Xuan actually had countless ways to resist Pei Yingye’s strength, but he complied with his actions anyway. He allowed Pei Yingye to lift his arm and lean halfway down, drinking the remaining wine in the glass directly from his hand.

Pei Yingye pulled the empty glass away, placed it on the suede sofa, and used his knuckles to brush away the wine stain from his lips.

The next second, a wind like the open wilderness, carrying an irresistible aura, suddenly pressed down.

It began as a tentative probe, then became reckless due to the owner’s urgent longing. His lips were softer than the man himself; the temperature was slightly cool, but his breath was excessively hot.

It was a kiss that possessed no discernible technique.

Impatient and amateur, it was like someone anxious to confirm ownership, resorting to the most direct method to leave their mark. Pei Yingye’s hand pressed against the back of Ji Xuan’s hand on the sofa armrest, his thumb rubbing the delicate soft flesh of his wrist with varying pressure, as if he wanted to erase the existence of that tattoo right then and there.

Perhaps because the sensation was ticklish, Ji Xuan’s fingers curled slightly. The movement startled the headstrong Pei Yingye, causing him to nervously bump against Ji Xuan’s lips. The latter let out a very soft, nearly inaudible sigh from his throat.

Then, Ji Xuan raised his other hand, pressed it against the armor on Pei Yingye’s shoulder, and pushed him away.

The surrounding clamor and laughter felt as if they were filtered through a layer of gauze; only their interlaced breathing and restless heartbeats were infinitely magnified. Pei Yingye kept his eyes downcast, his thick lashes trembling. Likely out of excitement, a flush spread from his neck to the corners of his eyes.

Not until a beam of light pierced through the gaps in the plants did it happen to illuminate Ji Xuan’s face.

He still maintained the posture of pushing Pei Yingye away, with one leg inevitably wedged between the other’s due to their close proximity.

“Your technique is so poor…” Ji Xuan let out a laugh. “How do you have the nerve to try a forced kiss like others do?”

Pei Yingye’s earlobes turned beet red at these words, and a fire of shamed annoyance instantly ignited in his blue eyes. He wanted to retort immediately, but the experience of that far-from-superb kiss just now truly left him lacking confidence. He could only stiffen his neck and say gruffly, “…And you’ve tasted ‘good’ ones?”

Ji Xuan arched an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

To Pei Yingye, this expression was practically a default “yes.” He licked the corner of his lips: “I want to kiss you again.”

As he spoke, he actually lowered his head to lean in again, looking very much like he wouldn’t stop until he reached his goal.

Ji Xuan tilted his head to avoid the horns that were about to poke his forehead, and the hand on the other’s shoulder applied force: “That’s enough. It’s almost over outside.”

As if to prove his words, the crystal chandelier in the center of the hall flickered sharply a few times. The alternating light and shadow swept over this hidden corner, clearly illuminating the unfaded red on Pei Yingye’s face and the stubbornness in his eyes.

He remained in a stalemate, unwilling to give up, his forward-leaning posture unchanged.

Ji Xuan just looked at him; there was no lust in his eyes, nor any compliance, resembling a bottomless pool of deep water.

“Are you afraid of being seen?” Pei Yingye asked petulantly, his hand on the sofa subconsciously loosening its grip.

Ji Xuan didn’t answer the question; he simply took the opportunity to pull his hand out of the other’s control. He stood up straight and casually tidied his slightly disheveled collar.

“I’ve fulfilled what I promised you,” Ji Xuan said leisurely. “If you want anything else, you’ll have to trade something else for it.”

“Pei Yingye, one shouldn’t be too greedy.”

As he spoke, the hand that had been against Pei Yingye’s shoulder slid upward, very flippantly patting that handsome face.

He then bypassed the other’s stiff body, lifted the thin curtain, and disappeared into the gradually brightening lights without a hint of lingering attachment.

Pei Yingye stood in place for a long time before finally raising a hand to touch the spot on his cheek where he’d been patted. His skin burned like fire. His tongue pressed against the same spot inside his mouth, then he touched his burning neck and let out a “tsk.”

“How could I not be greedy?” He stared at the curtain that was swaying even without a breeze. “…You clearly felt something for me too.”

—

[Title: Saving some of the looks I thought were especially good tonight!]

[1L (OP): The party is over, saving some pics. Thanks to the Art Department’s gift, this is how a party should be! Who wants to study and test mechas every day and then see more mechas while relaxing at night!]

[2L: Supporting OP, here’s a picture to start. I wonder which deity created this look; it’s like something out of a fairy tale when it appears at the entrance of the hall. What kind of beauty is this!]

[3L: !!! Which academy’s Omega is this? I need all his info in one minute!]

[4L: ? Has 3L just gotten back online? You don’t recognize JX? For the past few days, the forum has been full of videos of him walking the opposition like dogs in various assessments. I’ve reached aesthetic fatigue from watching…]

[5L: Maybe the person above should hide their bookmarks before talking? It’s indeed hard not to get fatigued after watching five, six, seven, eight times.]

[6L: What do you know? I’m studying technique!]

[10L: The Art Department really went all out this time. This demon outfit is way too cool. As expected, 3S-grade Alphas are blessed; anyone else wouldn’t be able to pull off this vibe.]

[11L: LOL, it really matches a certain someone’s ‘I’m number one in the world’ confidence.]

[12L: Not number one anymore… not anymore…]

[13L: [Mars Military Academy’s new #1, the only ‘Inferior Omega’ Fan Support Group taking in heartbroken fans of the former ace.jpg]]

[18L: Over it. I knew JX would show up in a thread like this. What use is looking good? This is a military academy, not a film academy.]

[19L: ? Which mountain gully did 18L crawl out of? Can’t you see the rankings published by the training center? Being #1 in Combat Group A and #1 of the year isn’t enough strength for you?]

[20L: Wishing for 18L to match JX in mecha or combat next time. I really want to see it.]

[21L: Don’t wait for next time. I checked, and the mecha simulator is still usable. Go challenge JX directly tomorrow 🙂 ]

[28L: My personal tonight’s best pick [A blurry silhouette of a demon and a priest close together under a narrow beam of light.jpg]]

[29L: Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! Is this a god?!]

[30L: It’s a shame 28L isn’t a paparazzi. How did you take such a badass picture?!]

[31L: The priest, praying alone to the gods in the temple, finally waited for a miracle to descend. But the one who stepped out of the pale beam of light was not the deity he expected but a demon from hell with winding horns and clad in armor.

The demon’s voice was low and seductive, asking mockingly, ‘You call for light, yet why am I the one who answered the call? Because your heart holds desire and obsession. You are not holy and untainted; your heart holds endless cravings.’

The priest’s long lashes trembled, and he said nothing.

The demon chuckled low. His black-gloved hand traced upward from the wrist tattooed with the eerie, beautiful floral branch, his fingertips skipping over the tensed forearm, feeling the warm blood flowing beneath the ice-white skin.

‘The hypocritical gods can give you nothing.’ His fingertips finally rested at the center of the ink-black tattoo’s stamen. He closed his fingers, changing from a caress to a grip. ‘But I can give you the freedom to break your shackles, and…’

And so the priest sacrificed himself, dancing once with the demon before the idols and within the temple. The fluttering priest’s robes were like a butterfly spreading its wings. His only remaining reason urged him to flee, but before his upper body could pull away, he was snapped back into an embrace.

‘You’d best not cry, and don’t run… stay by my side forever, until the last moment of your life.’]

[32L: Thank you 31L, what a great chef! This paragraph is a delicious meal, wuwuwu.]

[38L: …Does anyone still remember that JX has an engagement with the other chief…]

[39L: Nobody cares. What kind of era is this? Arranged marriages by parents? Besides, forced relationships are never happy; if neither person is interested, why force it?]

[40L: True. What year of the New Star Calendar is it? And I have to say, PYY and JX really match. Whether it’s combat assessments, full-domain simulations, or the dance party, they’re a perfect match of equals. Watching them coordinate to take people out is just pure bliss.]

[41L: Uh, have you considered the feelings of those of us being ‘taken out’?]

[42L: [It’s your blessing to die at the hands of the former #1 and current #1.jpg]]

—

His terminal lying on the bed flashed repeatedly. After showering, Pei Yingye tied a towel loosely around his waist and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.

The thread on the screen had already reached several hundred posts. He scrolled leisurely, saving over a dozen pictures. He liked a few of the more prominent posts in the thread, then picked a few of those pictures to send to Ji Xuan.

Naturally, this included the one under the light. The “god-tier photo” of them dancing together.

However, he typed and deleted text in the dialogue box repeatedly. He tried to think of a way to explain his actions, but since he’d already sent them, he decided to just wait for Ji Xuan’s reply.

Ji Xuan was currently leaning on the balcony railing, letting the alcohol wear off.

Everything belonging to Lance in the dorm had been cleared out. He had been notified that a new roommate would move in at some point, perhaps during the next enrollment, or whenever someone else wanted to switch rooms.

Ji Xuan didn’t care much.

His arms were propped on the railing, his upper body leaning down in a smooth curve, legs crossed casually. His hair, not completely dried, draped loosely over him. Between the fingers of his right hand, a thin cigarette was lit, the tiny sparks of fire blooming in the night. He brought the cigarette to his lips, took a drag, and exhaled a misty plume from between his lips.

[Are you still thinking about which legion to join?] the system asked cautiously.

“No,” Ji Xuan said flatly. “I’m just pondering why this world is the way it is.”

The system couldn’t quite understand.

“What counts as the ending?” Ji Xuan’s tone became nonchalant, as if he didn’t care about the answer and was just venting: “Is it when the identity of ‘Ji Xuan’ completely dies? Or when Ji Yan gains the full affection of those three people? Or… the other way around, letting me replace him?”

“From start to finish, you haven’t had a clear way of judging, and you can’t even stop me from deviating from the plot in various ways, yet you want me to complete the rest of the story… It seems there are things you haven’t told me.”

Ji Xuan keenly felt that after he said this, the wind passing around him seemed to change rhythm slightly. Perhaps it was the system’s data turbulence.

Finally, after a long silence, the system spoke up timidly: […Um, can we maybe read fewer transmigration novels?]

Ji Xuan let out a light laugh and took another drag of the cigarette.

“Whatever.”

For the sake of this new body and…

Ji Xuan finished the last puff, turned, and went inside. The terminal on the bedside table had gone dark, with only the pulsing indicator light at the top notifying him of a new message.

He tapped into the dialogue box. The latest message was a screenshot of an adaptive training application sent by Pei Yingye. Above that was a perfectly composed, highly atmospheric photo.

A certain someone’s intentions were as clear as day.

He left a brief and stingy comment: [Nice photo.], ignoring the hints following it.

After feeding Mephisto a midnight snack, he began looking for a place where he could board his venomous snake.

Just then, there was a knock on the dorm door. Ji Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise, stood up, and went to open it.

Standing outside was a dormitory robot holding an incubator.

“Hello, Student Ji of Room 507. This is your delivery.”

Ji Xuan said, “This isn’t mine.”

The robot was silent for a moment as if searching for information. A few seconds later, it said, “It is yours. It is a reptile incubator bought for you by your friend.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the terminal in Ji Xuan’s hand vibrated again. A message from Shaikh popped up:

[Brother, please forgive my presumption tonight. I hope you like my compensatory gift.]

[Brother, have you chosen where you want to go yet? As the first-place winner, you have many options; I wonder if I’ll run into you. Pets aren’t allowed during field training, so if you need, I can help find someone to look after Mephisto. They are very experienced.]

[It’s fine if you don’t need my help, but please don’t refuse my gift. The insulation parameters of the X-Terra Pro series coolers are top-tier; I’m sure Mephisto will like it too.]

Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze and sent back a cold “.”. Then, he said to the robot, “Bring it in.”

It was a free gift, so he might as well take it.

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