Part 2
Zhu Ran’s green eyes flickered. Even if he were “squeezed dry,” he couldn’t stimulate five hundred pots of natural plants.
Zhu Ran weakly replied with a “…” to indicate he didn’t want to talk.
Zhang Jun also realized he was asking for too much, so he stepped back and offered a suggestion: [Xiao Zhang: Then I suggest you open pre-orders or list products in batches every few hours to coordinate with our promotion.]
[Xiao Zhang: You wouldn’t want customers to come to your shop after seeing the promotion only to find it completely empty~]
Zhu Ran sighed: [Zhu: I understand. I’ll try to cultivate as many as I can.]
[Xiao Zhang: Great~ then I wish you a prosperous business and may wealth flow in from all sides!]
[Xiao Zhang: If you have any questions later, feel free to contact me.]
After communicating with Zhang Jun, Zhu Ran let out a sigh. He had originally thought 150 pots would be enough, given it was eight times his usual daily restock, but the official estimate was far more exaggerated.
“I’ll prepare as many as I can. I should also send the roses and succulents to Yan You and let him design a matching ecological garden.”
Thinking this, Zhu Ran sat on the balcony and began dividing and stimulating the plants. Accompanied by soft, soothing spiritual waves, tiny seedlings were divided and placed into vases. Lush and green, they were full of life.
Soon, the entire balcony was filled with natural plants. The space was fully utilized, with the floor and the air occupied by them. Even the mutated vines were called into service by Zhu Ran to act as flower stands; roses or lavender pots were placed on the red and black tentacles.
When Zefaer stepped out of the guest room, this was the scene that greeted him. Under the warm sunlight, Zhu Ran looked like a child of nature, surrounded and cherished by beautiful and vibrant plants. It was wonderful and serene.
Zefaer’s gaze couldn’t help but soften, and a tinge of warm pale gold appeared in his blue and gold eyes. He walked to the edge of the balcony and leaned against the wall. The brilliant sunlight fell on his golden hair and skin, making him look exceptionally fair. On his exposed neck, he wore a metal collar—the restrictor Huinai had given him, which could limit Zefaer’s spiritual power to a certain extent.
Zhu Ran looked up: “You’re awake. Good afternoon.”
Zhu Ran had just about finished the divisions when Z arrived. To divide as many plants as possible, his spiritual power had been almost completely exhausted, causing his voice to carry a trace of lazy fatigue.
“Yes. Thanks to you, I slept very well.”
Zefaer’s voice was calm, quite different from the sharp, cold tone of their first meeting. This was Zefaer’s first time experiencing aromatherapy, and he hadn’t held much hope; after all, even natural plants could only give him half an hour of rest.
However… under the soothing fragrance, Zefaer had actually slept through the night, and even after breakfast, he had dozed off again. His sleep was better than ever before, filled with warm fragrance that made him feel comfortable and at peace. Consequently, his spirit was good today, and his emotions were calm, without a trace of violence.
Zhu Ran asked with concern: “What about the external injuries? Any more discomfort?”
Zefaer replied: “No, they’re mostly healed.”
Zhu Ran: “It’s good that you’re okay.”
Zhu Ran was about to stand up when he realized he had been so immersed in the divisions that the balcony was now completely occupied by natural plants, leaving no place to step.
“Need help?”
“No.”
Zhu Ran touched the red and black vines behind him. The vines extended their tendrils, circling Zhu Ran’s slender waist and steadily delivering him to the ground outside the balcony.
“Thank you.”
Zhu Ran thanked the vines and stroked their tendrils. The entire vine wall began to sway back and forth because it had been praised. It was very happy.
Because of the vine’s movement, the hem of Zhu Ran’s top was lifted slightly, revealing a small section of fair skin at his waist. Unlike Zefaer’s waist and abdomen, which had distinct muscle lines, Zhu Ran’s abdomen had no obvious muscles; it was flat and as white as a bright moon, looking very embraceable.
Zefaer’s gaze lingered on that unintentionally exposed skin, his breathing quickening slightly. Certain thoughts born from his heart surfaced. He wanted to grasp Zhu Ran’s waist and pull him into his embrace.
Zhu Ran was completely unaware of Z’s hidden thoughts. He looked up, his emerald eyes even more moving in the sunlight. His gaze, shimmering like starlight, crashed directly into Zefaer’s heterochromatic eyes. The latter’s heart skipped a beat, and his thoughts drifted.
Seeing that Z seemed to be spacing out, Zhu Ran asked: “What is it?”
Zefaer made up a random excuse: “Where did the vine on your wrist come from?”
He had naturally recognized it as a B-rank mutated plant. When he had last delivered a package to Zhu Ran, the vine hadn’t been on him. On the day he lost control, Zhu Ran had used this vine to bind him.
“A customer got it by chance and sold it to me,” Zhu Ran answered. “I originally thought the vine was enough to act as a bodyguard, but who knew it was completely useless against you.”
On the day Z lost control, after Zhu Ran had briefly bound him with the vine for a few seconds, it had been torn into pieces by Z.
That day’s events suddenly flashed through Zefaer’s mind. The scent of vanilla sugar that had filled his nose and mouth scratched at his heart like a feather as he remembered—once, then again. The emotions Zefaer had struggled to suppress surged up once more.
It was truly… hard for him to restrain himself.
Zefaer clenched his hand at his side, his nails leaving deep marks in his palm. The pain reminded Zefaer not to be led away by his instinctive desires. Before Zefaer figured out exactly what his feelings for Zhu Ran were, he didn’t want to expose himself too much.
Possessiveness? Yes. Protective urge? Yes. Desire for control? Yes.
As for other desires, Zefaer was not yet clear. The pain in his palm brought him back to his senses. His gaze fell on Zhu Ran’s slender wrist, where a section of the vine was wrapped. The black-and-red vine formed a sharp contrast with the fair skin. It possessed a strange sort of beauty.
Zefaer: “As long as it doesn’t encounter me, it can protect you.”
Zhu Ran joked: “But I’ve already encountered you. What should I do?”
“Hmm… that is indeed a problem.” Zefaer also joked: “Then why don’t you bind me with it again? I promise not to resist.”
“That’s just deceiving yourself. It can’t restrain you at all.”
Zhu Ran walked over to the sofa, and Zefaer sat down beside him.
Zefaer: “Huinai sent over my spiritual sea test report. Want to see it?”
“Sure.”
Zefaer placed the optical computer between himself and Zhu Ran. To see the text clearly, Zhu Ran leaned a bit closer to him. Even though the report could have been shared by adding Zhu Ran as a Star-Net friend, eliminating the need to huddle together, Zefaer deliberately ignored that option. As for Zhu Ran, he was a bit tired and forgot to add Z as a friend.
Thus, their shoulders touching, they read the report together.
The report summarized:
[Compared to the previous day, Z’s spiritual sea condition showed an overall damage value decrease of 0.2% and a fluctuation value decrease of 7.] [The spiritual sea has reached a stable state; it is not prone to another riot.] [The shallow-layer damage value decreased by 0.2%.] [There is no significant change in the deep-layer damage value.]
From the report, it was easy to see that Z’s spiritual sea condition had improved somewhat after one aromatherapy treatment.
However…
“Is the repair effect concentrated in the shallow layers…?” Zhu Ran looked at the report thoughtfully.
In its definition, the spiritual sea was divided into shallow and deep layers. As the names implied, if the spiritual sea were compared to an estate, the shallow layer was the area from the gate to the house entrance, while the deep layer was the more private residence. The aromatherapy Zhu Ran used on Z was visibly effective on the shallow layer, but it was limited to that.
Seeing Zhu Ran in deep thought, Zefaer explained: “This is already very rare.”
“Interstellar drugs have difficulty repairing a spiritual sea as terminally ill as mine. Moreover, during the aromatherapy process, I was very comfortable without any pain, and… there shouldn’t be any side effects.”
Thinking of how he had fallen asleep yesterday amidst Zhu Ran’s light massage and gentle voice, the corners of Zefaer’s mouth turned up slightly.
“I know. But I wonder if it can be improved so that aromatherapy is also effective on the deep spiritual sea.”
Zhu Ran pondered: “Natural plants are mostly mild, so aromatherapy with them as the main material is effective on the shallow spiritual sea. But the deep spiritual sea is tightly defended; perhaps natural plants are too gentle to break through.”
“So… perhaps some more intense materials are needed.”
“Peppermint? No, even though its scent is somewhat stimulating, it’s still a natural plant.”
“Hmm…”
Zhu Ran’s gaze fell on the mutated vine on his wrist, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
Maybe he could try using a mutated plant as a catalyst… If you were talking about which plants were the most aggressive in the Interstellar, it had to be mutated plants.
Zefaer: “Thought of a solution?”
Zhu Ran: “Maybe. I’ll need to test it later.”
“Alright. You can find me to test the results.”
“By the way, can we take the essential oils and the natural plants you cultivate for testing? I’ll have Huinai issue you a test certificate from the Medical Department. That way, it will be easier for you to sell them in the future.”
Zhu Ran had no reason to refuse: “Alright, I’ll trouble you with that.”
Immersed in his own thoughts, Zhu Ran didn’t notice at all that his current posture with Z was a bit too close. Their upper bodies were almost pressed together, and with Z holding the optical computer in one hand and propping himself up behind Zhu Ran with the other, it created the illusion that Z was embracing him.
Zefaer lowered his gaze, his eyes dark as they fell on Zhu Ran’s profile and his fluffy head. Because they were so close, he could feel the warm and peaceful aura from Zhu Ran’s body, mixed with… that mesmerizing scent.
He was very fragrant, and very soft.
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