Chapter 33
Building a nest to court a mate, only to be suspected of harboring bugs.
Even if Ying Liu racked his brains, he never imagined things would develop this way.
“I am of the Angel Sequence.”
He gritted his teeth, spreading his wings and trying his best to display his power and beauty.
“How could I have bugs?!”
Luo Shizhen asked, “You picked up so many branches to build the nest. Did you wash them?”
Ying Liu was momentarily speechless. “Who washes branches when building a nest?”
“If you didn’t wash them, there would be insect eggs on the branches. Some small bugs might have already hatched but are hiding inside the wood, so you can’t see them.”
Luo Shizhen earnestly explained the science to Ying Liu:
“Actually, even washing them is useless. The little bugs hiding inside won’t come out with just water.”
Before meeting Chu Xiao, he didn’t have any friends, and his grandmother didn’t feel safe letting him play outside alone. So, when Luo Shizhen was little, he often picked up branches to play with in the yard.
Branches weren’t just for playing; they could also be used for firewood. Once, while his grandmother was cooking and he was helping feed the fire, Luo Shizhen saw a bug crawl out of a branch with his own eyes.
He had shockingly reported this new discovery to his grandmother.
After that, his grandmother forbade him from bringing the straight, pretty branches he found onto his bed.
Ying Liu: “…”
Hearing Luo Shizhen put it like that, he started to feel uncomfortable all over.
He flapped his crimson-dyed wings, as if trying to shake out any potential bugs.
The doctor quickly provided a bottle of deworming spray. “Just in case, let’s deworm.”
“You don’t have your own Domain yet, so you can’t ensure that everything around you is expelled. It is indeed possible to be infected by parasites.”
Ying Liu glanced at Luo Shizhen. “I will have my own Domain sooner or later.”
Luo Shizhen didn’t understand why he was focusing on that point, but he still replied politely:
“Okay.”
The doctor placed the spray on the table.
“Student, spray it yourself. It’s best to spray your hair too.”
Working at the Awakener Academy, he had long formed the good habit of not touching the students.
Ying Liu agreed, and the doctor thoughtfully stepped out to give them privacy.
Only when Ying Liu picked up the deworming spray did he realize that his wings were too large. It was impossible to spray them properly while maintaining a handsome, composed posture.
Unless he was willing to twist his body into a pretzel.
But how could he do that in front of his courting target!
Ying Liu tried a few times but failed to do it gracefully. Seeing Luo Shizhen sitting opposite him, watching his movements with curiosity, he felt a mix of shame and indignation.
“I’m not spraying it!”
Luo Shizhen suddenly realized what was wrong. “Ying Liu, is it because you can’t reach?”
This was a matter of dignity. Ying Liu was just about to say, “What do you mean can’t reach? I can reach; how could I possibly not reach?” when he saw Luo Shizhen stand up.
Luo Shizhen said amicably, “If you can’t reach, I’ll help you spray it.”
Ying Liu: “…Right, I can’t reach.”
Luo Shizhen picked up the spray, carefully read the instructions on the bottle to ensure it was safe for direct application, and then walked over to Ying Liu’s left wing. With one hand supporting the wing and the other aiming the spray, he sprayed gently.
Ying Liu’s wing trembled.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
Luo Shizhen felt the vibration under his hand and asked, “I’ll be gentler.”
“No, I’m fine.”
For some reason, Ying Liu’s voice became smaller, and his entire imposing aura wasn’t as flamboyant as before.
Luo Shizhen always did things very earnestly.
He was meticulous, spraying the deworming medicine starting from the Angel’s flight feathers. He even gently lifted the fragile lesser coverts that were originally hidden by the main wings, spraying the medicine with soft, slow movements.
For Ying Liu, this was a very strange experience.
For Awakeners of the Angel Sequence, wings were the key to activating their abilities. Everyone cherished and protected their wings dearly.
Even his twin brother had never touched every corner of Ying Liu’s wings in such fine detail.
Examining every spot so patiently, without getting impatient over the large size of the wings or the amount of work…
Ying Liu’s wings trembled occasionally at first due to awkwardness and unfamiliarity, but later, perhaps gradually getting used to the gentle treatment, they became docile.
He even consciously lifted his wings when Luo Shizhen wanted to reach the base, making it easier for him.
Such a posture might have been a bit undignified, but he didn’t seem to care that much anymore.
“Shizhen.”
Luo Shizhen heard Ying Liu suddenly ask, “Why are you so good to me?”
Luo Shizhen looked up from behind the red feathers. “It’s just helping out a little. It’s normal for classmates to help each other.”
Ying Liu asked in a low voice, “Can you help me spray the deworming medicine later too?”
“Of course.”
It was just a small favor; Luo Shizhen would do it without a second thought.
He agreed readily, but an inexplicable sense of panic, loss, and faint regret rose in Ying Liu’s heart.
He shouldn’t have been so hasty with the courting just now.
Because he wanted to succeed before his brother, he hadn’t prepared anything properly. He didn’t wash the branches for the nest, nor did he dress himself up properly.
Originally, failing the courtship had only left Ying Liu feeling a bit bewildered and embarrassed. But now, after feeling Luo Shizhen’s gentle treatment, regret gushed out from the bottom of his heart like a spring.
Luo Shizhen… seemed to be truly wonderful.
No wonder his brother liked him.
He should have been more rigorous with his attitude when courting.
Luo Shizhen earnestly finished spraying the medicine for Ying Liu before remembering to ask:
“Why did you suddenly want to build a nest? Is it because you’re of the Angel Sequence, so you like sleeping in a nest like a bird?”
Ying Liu held back for a moment, wanting to ask Luo Shizhen’s opinion on the nest, but then felt discouraged.
What’s the point of asking? Seeing him drag me here for deworming tells me everything I need to know.
His wings drooped slightly. Without stopping his hands, he quickly took off the various gems he used for decoration.
Most of these gems were quite valuable—rubies, sapphires, peridots, and even emeralds.
Some were earned from external orders he took, others were exchanged from Lu Qiujin for “beat up my brother” orders. He had saved them up over time, and now there was a large handful.
This large handful was presented right in front of Luo Shizhen.
Luo Shizhen looked at the colorful gems in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“These are all for you!”
Ying Liu actually felt a bit of a pinch. Since awakening, he had developed a strong fondness for shiny things. Compared to his brother, who could still restrain himself, Ying Liu went to extremes to search for gems everywhere to collect.
Giving them away now caused instinctive twinges of pain in his heart.
But instinct also told him that to court a mate, he had to give away his treasures.
He felt the pain, but the moment he saw Luo Shizhen’s dark, bright eyes, he instantly forgot it.
“It’s my first time building a nest too. I have no experience and didn’t consider the bug issue. Next time, I will wash all the materials clean before building. Take these gems for now. When I build the nest properly, I’ll put even more gems inside.”
Ying Liu looked at Luo Shizhen and asked expectantly:
“When I build a clean nest without bugs next time, can you come back to the nest with me?”
Luo Shizhen was baffled. “But if you like sleeping in a nest, you can just go by yourself. Why do you want me to go with you?”
He said honestly, “I prefer sleeping in a bed. Besides, sleeping in a tree is so dangerous. I’m not like you; I don’t have wings. It would be terrible if I fell.”
“I won’t let you fall!”
Ying Liu got anxious, forgetting even his heartache over the gems. “Even if you fall, I will protect you!”
Luo Shizhen: “But I still don’t like sleeping in trees. You can find a classmate who likes sleeping in trees to sleep with you.”
Ying Liu said urgently, “How could I court someone else? I’m only courting you!”
Luo Shizhen was blank. “Courting?”
He was a bit dazed. “You asking me to sleep in the tree… was courting?”
“Is it that kind of… the ‘courting’ in books? Like, dating and getting married?”
Ying Liu froze. “Married…”
He pursed his lips nervously, then felt a bit of excitement, completely throwing his brother to the back of his mind.
“If you want to get married, we can go get the certificate right now. I also have a car; I’ll give it all to you!”
“No, no, no! Wait, wait, wait!”
Luo Shizhen waved his hands. On his face, which always revealed a soft heart, there was now a firm expression.
“You are a man, and I am a man.”
“How can a man and a man get married?”
Ying Liu was slightly stunned. He sensed Luo Shizhen’s attitude, but he still couldn’t believe it.
Speaking much more carefully than before, he observed Luo Shizhen’s expression while choosing his words:
“If we don’t get a certificate, we can just have a wedding; it’s the same. I heard the country might legalize same-sex marriage registration in a while. We can make it up then, how about that?”
Luo Shizhen didn’t quite understand. Fortunately, Xiao Shan had said something similar before. He processed it and sort of got the gist.
“So, you mean you like men?”
Ying Liu cleverly copied a romantic line he had seen online: “I don’t like men, I like you!”
Luo Shizhen patted his own chest. “I am a man. Did you not recognize that? I can prove to you that I’m a man.”
Strange. Did Ying Liu mistake me for a woman?
But I’m as strong as an ox; how could he mistake that?
And doesn’t the school have no female students?
Ying Liu: “…What I mean is, regardless of your gender, I like you.”
“Oh, I see.”
Luo Shizhen scratched his head. “But I am a straight man. Could you please go like other men instead?”
Ying Liu: “…”
Ying Liu: “…”
He felt like he had been struck by lightning. “You… you are a straight man?”
“Yes. ‘Straight man’ means liking girls, right? I am a straight man. I’m going to get married and have children in the future. I’m sorry, it’s impossible for me to like you.”
As Luo Shizhen said this, he took a step back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you liked men.”
In the confinement room, Xiao Shan was bored lying down. He wanted to fight, but his energy had been drained by training during the day.
He rolled over and suddenly asked Chu Xiao in the distance.
“Chu Xiao, do you like men?”
Chu Xiao had his eyes closed but answered quickly, “I don’t.”
Xiao Shan: “? But you clearly like Shizhen!”
Chu Xiao countered, “Then do you like men?”
Xiao Shan: “I don’t.”
Chu Xiao asked again, “If Shizhen liked men, would you like them?”
Xiao Shan hesitated for a moment.
Wait, why am I hesitating?
Xiao Shan shouted loudly, “What do you mean by that question? Are you questioning my brotherhood with Shizhen?!”
Rong Nian joined in. “Chu Xiao, don’t spread rumors. How could my Master like men? He only likes raising mermen.”
Xiao Shan said angrily, “Don’t you spread rumors either. I told you, Shizhen only marked you because he pitied you. He has no intention of raising you.”
The two started arguing again.
An Awakener’s energy was like water in a sponge. It seemed like they had been squeezed dry by heavy training, but if you squeezed a bit more, some would still come out.
While they argued, Chu Xiao fell silent. He didn’t speak again, only silently thinking what a pity in his heart.
In this confinement room, one claimed brotherhood, the other claimed a master-pet relationship. Not one of them would directly admit to liking men.
What a pity.
Chu Xiao wasn’t worried about someone who had been gay from the start appearing in front of Luo Shizhen.
What he feared were “straight men” like Xiao Shan and Rong Nian.
Under the impact of internal pollution, Chu Xiao would impulsively want to confess. But once reason returned, he wouldn’t mention a word of it.
Falling in love with Luo Shizhen was destined to be both blissful and unfortunate.
Because liking him meant you could only stay by his side, treating him well slowly, hoping that one day, he would suddenly get it.
If one were to confess…
Chu Xiao knew very well what Luo Shizhen, with his one-track mind, would do when faced with a confession from the same sex.
Infirmary.
Luo Shizhen’s thought process was very straightforward: A man liking men = This man looking at other males is the same as a “normal man” looking at other females.
In this situation, having physical contact with the other party was impolite. It was just like how he could chat, talk, and clean the classroom with female classmates.
But female classmates would hug each other and go to the restroom hand in hand, whereas Luo Shizhen, as a boy, could not do that.
And a male who liked men was in the same category as girls—within the range of “no physical contact allowed, or it would be offensive.”
“I’m really sorry for touching you just now.”
Luo Shizhen pushed the deworming spray forward, maintaining a slight distance from Ying Liu.
He was still very friendly, and his eyes were still as gentle as a cute, harmless lamb.
But the words he spoke made Ying Liu stand frozen on the spot.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help you spray anymore. Please find someone else.”
“I will be careful in the future and definitely keep my distance from you.”
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