TL: Hua

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Chapter 45

Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye spent the entire day in the secret meeting room of the Azure Bird Seventh Guard, meticulously refining their identity information for this mission with Aslan.

Ji Xuan took the alias Lin Yan, originally a young master from a fallen noble family in the Second Galaxy. Pampered from childhood, he had been sent out of the Second Galaxy with a forged identity after an excessive incident left someone injured. Since then, he had drifted between major planets seeking thrills. As for Pei Yingye, he was a plaything Lin Yan had scouted at an underground fighting ring.

For a young master, keeping an impoverished Alpha from a desolate border planet was an easy feat. In a way, it aligned with the suggestion Shaikh had made back then.

“After you board the ship, we will maintain one-way contact through an encrypted channel. Unless it is an emergency, we will not initiate contact. All decisions must be made based on your own judgment on-site,” Aslan emphasized at the end of the meeting. “But the most important point is, under any circumstances, please ensure your own safety first.”

The two returned to the dormitory to prepare briefly—though there wasn’t much they had to bring. All the disguises and necessary “trinkets” would be arranged by Aslan. What truly needed preparation was the layer of distorted, ambiguous relationship that had to be convincing to outsiders.

As it turned out, perhaps getting a bit addicted to the role, Pei Yingye actually improvised quite a few strange plot points after Ji Xuan had finished stating their basic interaction style.

“So, you fell in love with me at first sight at the fighting ring and took me by force. At first, I would rather die than submit, until you hired people to kidnap me…” Pei Yingye leaned against the edge of the table, one leg hooked casually. He paused, then continued to weave a wild tale, “…and locked me in a top-tier apartment overlooking half the capital’s night view. After a month of using every means to break me, I finally saw the light and decided to follow you devotedly?”

Ji Xuan shifted his gaze from the stack of documents. The background Aslan prepared certainly didn’t include such detailed info. He looked at Pei Yingye playfully and said softly, “So, you like that kind of thing?”

Taking an inch and asking for a mile, Pei Yingye clutched the documents and leaned in closer, nearly trapping Ji Xuan between himself and the table. “I think Young Master Lin might like this script more than I do. After all, he’s the one who hand-picked me to be his male pet.”

He was very close, close enough for Ji Xuan to clearly smell his pheromones and feel the vibration of his heartbeat through his chest.

Ji Xuan tilted his head slightly, imperceptibly avoiding Pei Yingye’s direct breath. He calmly raised a hand, hooked open the other’s collar, and let his gaze fall on the old scars on his upper body. “It’s alright, it just lacks a bit of detail.”

“What?” Pei Yingye asked curiously.

Ji Xuan’s fingertips brushed over those old scars, his dark eyes unreadable. “For example, I particularly enjoy admiring the scars on your body. It’s proof that I haven’t tamed an ordinary, boring dog that only knows how to wag its tail, but a wild beast that crawled out of the mud and filth.”

His thin lips parted slightly, his tongue licking a dry corner of his mouth. “I would also add new marks on top as my brand. Occasionally, I’d check for new injuries in front of others, and my movements wouldn’t be very gentle…”

Pei Yingye’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his heart racing involuntarily. Even though Ji Xuan was the one trapped, and his eyes were lowered listlessly with long lashes obscuring his gaze, Pei Yingye felt, for some reason, that he was the one truly trapped.

But soon, Ji Xuan pushed him away. “Had enough fun, Ah Ye? Get too used to being insubordinate now, and you might leave a flaw on the starship.”

Pei Yingye pressed his lips together, savoring the intimate nickname “Ah Ye” in his mind, unsure if Ji Xuan was calling out to his alias or to him personally.

The day before departure, the two went to the Seventh Guard’s training room again for basic skills training. Shortly after, the funds, identification, and identity-appropriate clothing were delivered.

Both of them had excellent natural builds. Once they changed into the outfits meticulously prepared by Aslan and the team, their individual traits were highlighted to the extreme.

Originally, to fit the persona of Lin Yan, Aslan had prepared nano-tattoo stickers. But after seeing the tattoo already on Ji Xuan’s hand, he immediately scrapped that idea.

No pattern suited Ji Xuan’s aura better than a snake entwined with flowers.

Consequently, the remaining tattoo stickers “benefited” Pei Yingye. Half of the tattoo was exposed through the collar of his suit, and his whole body was filled with excessive aggression. A complexly designed necklace embedded with tiny gems hung loosely around his neck, less of an ornament and more like a magnificent shackle placed there by his master.

While Ji Xuan was still inside changing, Pei Yingye received a message from Ying Xun. He informed Aslan and left the training room to find Ying Xun as requested. By the time he returned, Ji Xuan happened to be pushing the door open.

His originally braided long hair was now loose, falling smoothly along his cheeks. A slender chain hung from his left earlobe, swaying gently as he turned his head.

His clothes had a distinctly oriental style, with a light gray, well-draped long coat over a silk suit. The V-neck was casually open, revealing a thin pearl necklace against his throat.

Pei Yingye’s gaze swept over him almost greedily from the falling dark hair to the swaying earring, the half-hidden collarbones, and that string of fine pearls. Finally, his gaze landed on that face—still cold and aloof, yet carrying a hint of decadence due to the outfit. Pei Yingye felt like he was about to catch fire; his blood was racing at an incredible speed.

To his surprise, Ji Xuan walked straight toward him. He hooked the silver chain around Pei Yingye’s neck, giving it a light tug to force him to look down. “Seen enough?”

His voice carried a hint of careless teasing, but his eyes were bright and piercing.

Pei Yingye’s Adam’s apple rolled as he forced his spiraling emotions back under control. He reached out and grabbed the wrist Ji Xuan used to pull his chain.

“The General gave this.”

With that, he stuffed the box he had been clutching in his other hand into Ji Xuan’s palm. Then, without taking no for an answer, he picked up the gold-wire bracelet from the box and snapped it onto Ji Xuan’s wrist.

The cold touch of the gold wire hit the skin. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary bracelet, but it held a secret. When unfolded, it could be used as a combat knife.

The other weapon Ying Xun gave him was a flexible military knife, its blade as thin as a cicada’s wing and about an arm’s length long, which could be bent at will. Pei Yingye stroked the hilt, unsure of what to do, when Ji Xuan reached out and naturally took the knife from his hand.

With a flick of his wrist, the knife vibrated like a spiritual snake.

In the next second, before Pei Yingye could react, Ji Xuan’s hand suddenly darted toward his waist. Ji Xuan’s fingers casually flipped open the hem of his shirt and yanked his belt forward.

Pei Yingye froze, his breath hitching instantly.

He looked down in disbelief as Ji Xuan, with a calm and expressionless face, gripped the hilt and slid the knife along the edge of his waistband with practiced, swift precision.

Pei Yingye exhaled, his abdomen tensed rock-hard. He tried to find some nonsensical topic to cover his chaotic thoughts: “Is the young master’s outfit today for my eyes only?”

Ji Xuan’s fingers didn’t leave immediately. He pressed down where the hilt was embedded to ensure it was securely tucked under the belt. His fingers inevitably brushed against the skin of Pei Yingye’s waist as he pulled away, and he then considerately straightened the other man’s clothes.

“No, it’s for the ‘Collector.'” Ji Xuan’s fingers slowly did up the buttons of Pei Yingye’s suit jacket, smoothing the fabric lightly. He looked up with a half-smile. “Hide it well. Don’t let them find it.”

Pei Yingye pressed his tongue against the corner of his mouth and leaned into his ear, gritting his teeth: “Understood, Young Master.”

—

Once ready, the two were first transported by the First Guard to a port in the Fourth Galaxy before transferring to the spaceport where the Seraphina was docked.

Unexpectedly, Ji Jingche personally participated in the escort mission.

Ji Jingche’s gaze landed on Ji Xuan several times. That outfit, so out of place within the interior of the aircraft and so full of oriental poetic flair, softened Ji Xuan’s profile while making him look more like a stranger.

Ji Jingche’s lips moved several times, and countless words rolled in his throat—about the danger of the mission, about telling them to be careful—but they all seemed blocked, unable to be uttered.

He saw Pei Yingye’s hand, resting seemingly casually on the armrest, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally tangling with Ji Xuan’s wrist in an obvious display of intimacy. And Ji Xuan accepted the proximity by default, showing no resistance.

Abandoning everything of the Ji family also meant abandoning the engagement with Shen Que. He had originally worried that Ji Xuan would be the disadvantaged party controlled by an Alpha, but now it seemed Ji Xuan was the one in control of the relationship.

The aircraft finally arrived at the transit port. The hatch slid open to the noise of crowds and flashing neon lights. Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye stood up one after the other, and Ji Jingche stood up as well, blocking the doorway. He faced Ji Xuan, standing so close he could clearly see the other’s lowered lashes and pale lips. Words surged to his lips again. There were emotions of brotherly concern and a trace of regret he didn’t want to admit, but they were suppressed once more.

Ji Xuan looked up, his expression neutral, as if waiting for a command from a strange superior officer.

All of Ji Jingche’s emotions froze under that gaze. His Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty. Finally, the unspoken care and complex feelings turned into a businesslike instruction: “Mission details are confirmed. After boarding, act according to plan. Stay safe, both of you.”

Having said that, he stepped aside to clear the path. He gave Ji Xuan one last deep look before quickly looking away.

Ji Xuan’s face remained expressionless as he said indifferently, “Understood, Colonel Ji.”

Without lingering, he and Pei Yingye merged into the bustling crowd of the port.

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