TL: Hua

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Chapter 49

The mission plan formulated by Aslan did not include any personnel to assist them on the starship, but Shen Que’s appearance was too coincidental for either of them to be entirely certain that he was unrelated to the mission.

Hearing Zakun’s inquiry, one of the security personnel bowed respectfully and explained the situation.

Seraphina existed in a gray area, unregulated, yet it was inevitable that some strange people would slip on board. To ensure that the passengers could fully enjoy the journey, security personnel frequently conducted identity checks on guests and service staff.

And Shen Que just happened to be the one chosen.

To be fair, it wasn’t exactly an injustice. Most students at Mars Military Academy were from wealthy or noble backgrounds, and Chief Shen especially came from a prominent family. Even though he had done his best to disguise himself as a waiter, his aura was hard to conceal; just walking down the corridor was enough to catch the security personnel’s attention. Coincidentally, the ID credentials he provided actually triggered an error during the check.

“We are currently requiring him to provide further proof or be taken to the security room for further investigation. We apologize for interrupting the esteemed guests’ enjoyment,” the security guard said.

Zakun’s gaze lingered on Shen Que. The well-dressed waiter kept his head down, his expression unreadable. The bracelet on his wrist was buckled to the highest notch, so it did not leak a single trace of pheromones, making it impossible to distinguish his grade, though they knew he was an Alpha.

“I think…”

However, before he could issue a command regarding the waiter, he felt Ji Xuan step forward from behind him, watching the Alpha in front of him with great interest.

“Heh…” He let out a light laugh, then reached out and forcefully gripped the Alpha’s chin, forcing him to lift his head.

Shen Que originally thought he wouldn’t escape this ordeal and was contemplating the possibility of a forced breakout. Caught off guard when his jaw was pinched, he was about to resist when he met a pair of mocking yet familiar eyes.

Ji Xuan was wearing perfume mixed with the scent of tobacco and alcohol, which rushed into his nostrils without reservation. His casually open collar revealed a slender neck and pale collarbones; the necklace hung down, pressing against the skin of his chest, allowing the corridor lights to shimmer across it.

Ji Xuan’s wrist tilted slightly, forcing Shen Que’s face to turn left and right. In his high-and-mighty gaze, there was no emotion other than mockery. It didn’t even hold a shred of warmth, as if he were inspecting an item at an auction, dispassionately and meticulously scrutinizing every detail on his face.

Pei Yingye’s expression was somewhat unpleasant as he stood behind Ji Xuan with a dark face.

Ji Xuan’s hand finally let go, rubbing twice against Shen Que’s shoulder. He turned his head toward Zakun and offered a weary yet wicked smile: “I didn’t expect that on this starship, one could still encounter this kind of specimen.”

Zakun seemed to understand his meaning, and his face instantly darkened.

As if unaware of the other’s mood, Ji Xuan’s fingertips slid across Shen Que’s shoulder, hooking onto his uniform tie. After twining it around his fingertip once, he abruptly yanked it toward himself—

The action was full of humiliation, like pulling on a dog’s leash.

Shen Que was yanked into a stumble, forced to take a half-step forward; his face was instantly flooded with shock and indignity.

“I think you guys don’t need to go through all that trouble. I’m very satisfied with this Alpha, so I’m taking him with me.”

The two security guards looked at him, then at Zakun. Zakun was the most important guest on the starship this time; since Ji Xuan was with him, his status was naturally significant. Although these checks were mandatory to ensure passenger safety, when dealing with such distinguished guests, rules can be flexible.

As long as Zakun spoke up, they would naturally let Shen Que go.

“Young Master Lin, doing this… I’m afraid someone might be unhappy,” Zakun said, his mood unpredictable.

Ji Xuan let out a laugh, sounding perfectly justified: “I’ve grown used to those who are wild and untameable. Occasionally changing tastes to try someone this well-behaved has a unique flavor of its own. Besides, our Ah Ye shouldn’t mind having someone serve with him, right?”

Pei Yingye, whose name had been called, lowered his head while grinding his molars, acting as though he didn’t dare to disobey.

Zakun’s gaze swept back and forth between Ji Xuan’s nonchalant smile and Shen Que’s face, which was forced into an expression of shame, finally landing on Pei Yingye’s resentful and unwilling face.

After a moment, he said with a forced smile, “Young Master Lin has unique tastes, and I naturally have no right to interfere. However… you should still be careful with people whose backgrounds are unclear, lest you play with fire and get burned.”

He spoke those last four words very slowly, as if emphasizing them on purpose, making sure everyone could hear the underlying covetousness and the secondary meaning of “fire.” But Ji Xuan acted as if he hadn’t heard the subtext at all, or perhaps he simply didn’t care.

He gave a weary yawn, and his hand gripping the tie shifted to a leading gesture.

“Then I’ll be taking him. Everyone, clear the way?”

The security guards looked at Zakun. Seeing him nod slightly, they stepped aside to open a path.

Just like that, Ji Xuan led Shen Que away, flaunting his prize and acting as if no one else existed as they headed toward his room. Pei Yingye followed silently behind them with an ill-tempered expression, looking exactly like someone whose property had been snatched by an intruder appearing out of nowhere.

No words were spoken along the way, only the rustling sound of footsteps on the carpet. Once inside the room, the door slammed shut, cutting off all contact with the outside world.

Ji Xuan released his grip on Shen Que’s tie, the frivolousness fading from his face. He walked straight to the vanity and turned on the faucet to wash his hands.

Pei Yingye, cooperating perfectly, squeezed hand soap for him, pressing the pump repeatedly as if it cost nothing.

Before long, Ji Xuan’s palms and the backs of his hands were covered in fluffy bubbles. When rinsed with water, they floated everywhere or piled up in the sink.

“I let you touch him,” Pei Yingye whispered into Ji Xuan’s ear. Seeing that Ji Xuan had finally rinsed away the foam, he pulled down a towel to dry his hands. The soft towel was pushed forcefully into every gap between his fingers. He continued with a scowl, “Look at that, your hands are practically rubbed red. You brought this on yourself.”

Not far away, Shen Que watched this scene. Ignoring the shame of being led by his tie the whole way, he felt his breathing grow heavy. His heart felt an uncontrollable sensation of weightlessness; unable to distinguish the emotion, he could only dispel his reaction by pretending to check the room for surveillance devices.

Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye checked every time they returned, so seeing Shen Que fall into the routine, they let him be.

After confirming there were no new additions to the room, Shen Que turned around and said to Ji Xuan, who was sitting on the sofa, “Thanks for just now. If I had gone to the security room, I might not have escaped a check by professional equipment.”

Ji Xuan’s face remained unchanged as he asked, “Who sent you?”

“Sorry, I can’t disclose that.”

It seemed he wasn’t sent by Aslan. That meant other fortresses or legions were also investigating Zakun… or someone else on the starship.

“You went to the Case Legion,” Pei Yingye suddenly said. “What, are they investigating Zakun too?”

Shen Que’s pupils shrank, but he quickly regained his composure. He neither admitted nor denied it; he just looked at Pei Yingye in silence, then turned to Ji Xuan.

“It seems this ‘Collector’ is making quite a stir; he’s a real prize,” Pei Yingye said, leaning behind Ji Xuan.

His arm span was very wide; at a glance, it looked as though he was holding Ji Xuan in his arms. As the one who was still publicly engaged to Ji Xuan, Shen Que’s expression was truly not pleasant at this moment.

Pei Yingye deliberately raised an eyebrow at him and said, “With your current identity, I’m afraid you won’t even be able to get close to Zakun once we reach Planet Belheim. Although I don’t know the extent of your investigation or your specific goal, my suggestion is to contact your superior and have them cooperate with us.”

In truth, Pei Yingye had absolutely no desire to deal with Shen Que. His instincts were already screaming at him to drive the other high-grade Alpha in this narrow space out of his territory. But for the sake of the final mission, the mature and understanding Xiao Pei felt he could manage to endure for a while.

Within thirty seconds, Shen Que rapidly processed the current situation. Based on Ji Xuan’s interaction with Zakun just now, it was as Pei Yingye said. They were indeed closer to Zakun than he was.

He frowned and asked with wary probing, “You guys…”

Pei Yingye answered directly: “We are here on Ying Xun’s order.”

Shen Que fell silent again.

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door.

The three silenced themselves instantly and exchanged a glance.

Pei Yingye moved silently behind the door and looked through the peephole, then mouthed a word to Ji Xuan.

It was Zakun’s person.

An arrogant mask immediately appeared on Ji Xuan’s face. He curled a finger at Shen Que, signaling him to come over.

Shen Que understood his intent instantly. Suppressing his chaotic emotions, he walked to the sofa.

Ji Xuan pulled him down. Shen Que knelt following the force. Ji Xuan extended a leg; although he didn’t actually touch him, from the doorway, it looked as if he were stepping on him.

“Who is it?” Ji Xuan said impatiently.

“Young Master Lin, Mr. Zakun sent me to deliver some things to you.”

“Ah Ye, get down there and open the door.”

Pei Yingye pulled his collar loose and tousled his hair. After faking his footsteps, he opened the door a second later with a look of displeasure.

Standing outside was a familiar face Ji Xuan had seen in the casino, holding an exquisite silver tray. He glanced at the disheveled Pei Yingye, then inconspicuously peered into the room. Ji Xuan was leaning lazily on the sofa, smoking a cigarette, with the Alpha waiter under his foot. An ambiguous and fawning smile immediately appeared on his face.

“Mr. Zakun instructed me to bring these little toys to Young Master Lin. He wishes you and your new pet an enjoyable evening.”

Pei Yingye took the tray and presented it toward Ji Xuan.

Restraints, drugs, a soft whip… Ji Xuan raised an eyebrow, tapped his cigarette ash into Shen Que’s palm, and said with a laugh, “Thank Mr. Zakun for his kindness on my behalf.”

“Yes. Then I shall not disturb Young Master Lin’s enjoyment.” The follower bowed again and took a step back. Pei Yingye unceremoniously slammed the door shut with a “bang,” and following that, the frivolity on Ji Xuan’s face vanished instantly.

He took the transparent ashtray from Shen Que’s hand and placed it back on the coffee table.

“The person hasn’t left yet,” Pei Yingye said silently after putting the tray down. “His hobbies really are quite perverted.”

Shen Que used the sofa to stand up. Just as he was about to ask what to do next, he heard Ji Xuan let out a laugh. Then, Ji Xuan picked up the soft whip at some point and flicked it hard—

Shen Que instinctively took a step back.

The whip struck the sofa cushion. In Pei Yingye’s terminal, a simulated AI groan sounded in coordination.

“Scared already?” Ji Xuan said mockingly. It’s unknown whether he was referencing Shen Que or simply performing. “Why are you dodging? So cowardly?”

Shen Que froze in place, feeling completely out of his element.

But he had to admit that at that moment… Ji Xuan was stern and beautiful.

Fortunately, neither of them expected him to put on any real act. Pei Yingye simply played out the AI ​​sound effects he had prepared beforehand, perfectly carrying out the scene for them. Zakun’s person stayed outside the door for four or five minutes, and once he confirmed the game inside was proceeding happily, he left silently.

Pei Yingye turned off the sound effect on the terminal and gave the distracted Shen Que a cold glance.

Ji Xuan threw the soft whip back onto the tray and went to the vanity to wash his hands again. When he returned, Shen Que seemed to have prepared himself mentally. After confirming they were indeed sent by Ying Xun, he briefly told the two about his mission goal.

He was indeed here for Zakun. However, the Case Legion hadn’t investigated as deeply as the Azure Bird Guards. They had infiltrated the starship to investigate a different shipment; besides Shen Que, there were other colleagues of his distributed across different decks.

“I can cooperate with you,” Shen Que said. As the person in charge of all operations on the starship, he had the authority to make such a decision.

However, Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye’s requirements for them were very simple: protect their identities, stay undetected, and provide assistance if necessary. That was enough.

Shen Que watched the cool and indifferent Ji Xuan sitting in the center of the sofa giving him “instructions,” while Pei Yingye beside him said nothing more after adding a few occasional points. An indescribable feeling rose in his heart. Although he had long suspected their relationship and had seen similar scenes in the full-domain simulation, this moment, whether it was Ji Xuan’s calmness or Pei Yingye’s submissiveness, had a far greater impact than before.

The hand pinching the jaw, the cold scrutinizing gaze, the arrogance faked to deceive Zakun… these were originally things he was supposed to have, but now they were far away.

Shen Que didn’t even know how he finally left the room.

He only remembered the last glimpse before the door closed; in the narrowing gap, he seemed to see Pei Yingye raise a hand to pull Ji Xuan close, whispering something intimately into his ear.

Shen Que slowly loosened his clenched fist, leaving several deep crescent-shaped marks in his palm.

Inside the room, Pei Yingye’s arm rested loosely on Ji Xuan’s waist, a posture of wanting to hold him but not daring to overstep too much. His head rested in the nook of Ji Xuan’s shoulder; he had deliberately retracted his aggressiveness, his fluffy hair rubbing back and forth stubbornly.

“One after another, they’re all like lingering ghosts.” While he spoke with a feigned sense of grievance and disgust, one could still hear a hint of gritted teeth.

Ji Xuan didn’t expose his childish trick; he just raised a hand to tilt his face up and said, “Make some marks on my neck.”

Pei Yingye was stunned, seemingly failing to react to the sudden jump in instructions.

Seeing him like this, Ji Xuan suddenly found it amusing. He chuckled and tapped his Adam’s apple with a fingertip: “What, you don’t know how? You were adjusting the AI so intensely earlier; didn’t you think about how we’re going to escape Zakun’s eyes tomorrow?”

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