Chapter 26: Is Begging Enough? Part 1
Zhù Shāngchén said to her, “Shall we escape from here?”
Mǐ Qiū was startled by his words. He couldn’t be serious, could he? Had he discovered something…
Before Mǐ Qiū could recover from her shock, Zhù Shāngchén spoke again, “Just the two of us. Like an elopement?”
She froze instantly.
“But, you know, the kind of ‘elopement’ between friends!”
That clarification made Mǐ Qiū’s scalp tingle.
Even with his explanation, a slight panic rose in Mǐ Qiū’s heart; she couldn’t remain completely calm.
On the surface, however, she maintained her composure.
Logically speaking, the isolation drug should have taken effect. This drug was currently the most efficient and useful one in the interstellar galaxy, fully certified and reported by authoritative sources. There shouldn’t be any issues.
Mǐ Qiū thought about her daily interactions with him; she felt she had kept a proper distance.
Puzzled for a long time, she recalled what Zhù Shāngchén had just said. Perhaps he was just like Shěn Qīnghuái, prone to joking? It was impossible for a person to change so quickly on their own, but one person’s way of speaking could easily infect the next.
After all, they lived in the same house. It wouldn’t be strange for changes to occur after spending time together.
Mǐ Qiū comforted herself internally.
“Let’s go back.”
She didn’t respond to his question directly, which was, in itself, a rejection.
Because eloping? How was that even possible??
At that moment, Mǐ Qiū felt a cool breath against her neck, moist with the vapor of respiration.
She looked back, only to realize that Zhù Shāngchén was standing right behind her, his face extremely close, mere inches away. If Mǐ Qiū hadn’t dodged quickly, they might have kissed.
Since she often found herself in these situations, Mǐ Qiū had learned to grip the ground with her toes to maintain her balance while leaning back.
There was a hint of confusion in Zhù Shāngchén’s eyes. “Guide Mǐ Qiū, are you afraid of me?”
Mǐ Qiū quickly changed the subject. “Did you want to say something to me? Just now.”
His smile carried a trace of bitterness. “I have nothing to say. I just… wanted to…”
Zhù Shāngchén clenched his hands, leaving the rest of his words unspoken.
Although they chatted normally afterward, Mǐ Qiū was a relatively sensitive person.
Because of this, she checked the StarNet for information regarding the isolation drug.
Most experts stated that there were absolutely no issues with this isolation drug. However, a small minority claimed the drug had side effects, manifesting as the user’s behavior becoming somewhat abnormal, or at least expressing themselves in abrupt, jarring ways.
So, what did this mean? If it was just a side effect of the drug, then Mǐ Qiū could set her mind at ease.
The week-long maritime drill had concluded.
In the morning, Mǐ Qiū, wearing cotton socks, stepped onto a chair to hang a small pendant lamp. It was for the room, and standing on the chair allowed her to just barely reach it.
Nearby, Hè Chí and Sù Zé Chū were discussing the maritime team. “They left ten minutes ago.”
Sù Zé Chū: “For the past few days, those little pups were lying outside the wooden cabin window every day, watching. Conducting reconnaissance, huh.”
Hè Chí sighed. “They were staring so hard their eyeballs almost popped out. Finally, some peace and quiet.”
Mǐ Qiū heard their conversation. It seemed the two of them didn’t welcome that team very much.
However, Mǐ Qiū had indeed noticed that during the first two or three days she was in the wooden cabin, there were gazes staring from the outside.
Not just Ān Yì Mò, but also several other unfamiliar faces—Sentinels Mǐ Qiū wasn’t familiar with.
Mǐ Qiū still hadn’t really figured out the reason why.
The renovation here was now fully on the agenda.
Although the rough structure was already set up, the actual renovation would take at least two months because there were many details that needed constant arranging.
Mǐ Qiū had been having very fulfilling days lately. One day, she discovered that Officer Hè had called her light-brain. Usually, they wouldn’t call unless it was something important.
When she had a free moment, Mǐ Qiū called back.
Hè Yùnán: “How is the house renovation going?”
“Mhm, it’s about done. One of the villas only has the finishing touches left, but because it was just renovated, it needs to air out the fumes for a while.”
“Then you don’t need to participate in the renovation anymore. Leave the rest entirely to them.”
Mǐ Qiū’s first reaction was that he didn’t trust her anymore.
“Officer Hè, I can do it. Although some heavy labor is hard for me, I will definitely complete it seriously and diligently. Please don’t drive me away!”
“Who said anything about driving you away? Your heart, really, is it made of glass?”
“Oh.”
Mǐ Qiū stopped talking and listened as the other side continued: “Given the current situation, the second batch of guests about to arrive may not be able to reach the island on time. Mǐ Qiū, what you need to do is enter the various zones and find them. Furthermore, your soothing work is still urgent; you need to be prepared at all times, even before they return to the island. Next, you are going to the frontline.”
Mǐ Qiū couldn’t help but be astonished. She didn’t hear that wrong, did she? A lowly Guide like her going to the frontline?
“That’s simply ridiculous!”
She accidentally spoke her inner thoughts aloud, forgetting that Officer Hè was still on the line. Hè Yùnán asked her, “Who are you talking to?”
“I’m afraid I can’t do it.”
Hè Yùnán’s voice grew louder on the other end. “Can’t do what? What have I asked you to do?”
Mǐ Qiū had to express her concern. “But wouldn’t it be bad if I don’t accompany the guests on the island? I can’t just leave like that, right? Officer Hè, you told me before that when guests come, I must receive them well and not let them be unhappy.”
“Stop changing the subject. I have my own arrangements for them; you just set your mind at rest. Tonight, go pack up. Bring some hard foods, the kind that can be preserved for a long time, enough to fill your stomach in a crisis.”
“Now, listen clearly to every word I say.”
“Okay.”
Hè Yùnán said in a deep voice, “Mǐ Qiū, step one: you are going to the A-Z Field Zone.”
Before he could finish, Mǐ Qiū was already searching for information on the relevant field zone on her light-brain while on the call. What popped up were all bloody, terrifying photos. It was practically a forbidden zone in the interstellar galaxy. It was said that if one strayed into the misty rainforest there and got lost, their bones would never be found. In other words, the field zone was far more dangerous than Mǐ Qiū had imagined.
And in a rainforest, wouldn’t there be giant spiders, snakes, insects, and the like?
Mǐ Qiū was most afraid of those things. Sob, sob, sob…
Mǐ Qiū felt incredibly aggrieved, almost crying into the light-brain.
Hearing her silence for a long time, Hè Yùnán asked, “Do you have an objection?”
“No, I have no objections at all. I obey the officer’s arrangements.”
“Mǐ Qiū, you must keep your current mission firmly in mind at all times. Don’t just idle around over there.”
Mǐ Qiū flattened her mouth. She hadn’t really been idling around on the island. She said, “Okay, I got it.”
“You don’t sound very enthusiastic. Do I need to emphasize it again?”
“I’ll send you a file on this batch of guests in a moment. You are to take the earliest fiber-optic boat tomorrow. Someone will pick you up. No problem, right?”
“No problem at all, haha.” Mǐ Qiū squeezed a bitter smile from the corner of her lips.
For the first time, she felt life was hopeless and incredibly difficult, but she had no choice but to face the difficulty and bite the bullet.
Since she was just a small, low-level Guide whom no one cared about, she had to prove even more that there was absolutely no problem with her hypnosis.
She, this little transparent F-class Guide with no soothing power, was also capable. She could make them look at her with new eyes.
Before leaving, Mǐ Qiū had to find a place for Ruǎn Bái Bái.
Hè Chí loved doing experiments and often kept his room dark; Ruǎn Bái Bái wasn’t suited to live in that environment.
As for Zhù Shāngchén, Mǐ Qiū couldn’t quite figure out his personality. Plus, she remembered him coming back from hunting with a half-dead chicken in his hand. She absolutely could not hand Ruǎn Bái Bái over to him. What if he decided to lay hands on Ruǎn Bái Bái one day?
After thinking it over, Mǐ Qiū only had one choice: Sù Zé Chū.
“Although Ruǎn Bái Bái is a bit naughty sometimes, fortunately, it listens to me now.”
“Listening to you doesn’t mean it will listen to me,” Sù Zé Chū said.
“Is it because you’re leaving?”
Mǐ Qiū: “How did you know?”
“Did you really think you could hide anything from me? Mǐ Qiū, I know you very well. Most of your thoughts are written on your face.”
“Hè Yùnán has already communicated with me. How could he let you go to such a dangerous place alone? I don’t approve of you going.”
“It is indeed hard to accept at first, but I have to do it. Officer Hè said someone would pick me up over there, so my safety shouldn’t be a worry.”
“Did you bring any self-defense weapons?” Mǐ Qiū shook her head, and his brow furrowed even tighter.
“When you’re out there, you need to take care of yourself at the very least. I’ll give you some protective gear.”
“Are you really not planning to stay? I will report this to the higher-ups; you don’t necessarily have to go.”
“No, I still can’t. I…” Suddenly, Mǐ Qiū fell into a very warm embrace, his head buried in the crook of her neck.
“Even if I beg you to stay, you won’t.”
Mǐ Qiū repeated the sentence he had just said.
“What kind of mission is this?”
Before Mǐ Qiū could pull away from him, Sù Zé Chū gently cupped her cheek with his left hand, looked at her pale blue veins, lowered his head, and gently branded a kiss on her neck.
Mǐ Qiū let out a very faint mmph.
The warm, moist lips lingered on her neck. The tingly sensation was really ticklish, and Mǐ Qiū couldn’t help but make that sound.
But sensing the strangeness of this gesture, Mǐ Qiū lowered her head and pushed him away directly.
She didn’t notice that the eyes of the man in front of her were slightly moist.
Mǐ Qiū saw the corners of his eyes were full of scarlet, but she didn’t know what was wrong with him. Was Sù Zé Chū also suffering from the drug’s side effects? Or was it because they were close enough friends? But generally speaking, such an ambiguous gesture as kissing the neck shouldn’t happen.
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