Chapter 3: The Forgotten Kiss Mark…
Mǐ Qiū waited until the man’s long-suppressed emotions had stabilized before they settled into a tight embrace.
She allowed his strong arms to hold her. The sound of grenades exploded all around them, kicking up clouds of dirt and dust, yet the man’s heart was incredibly calm in this moment. The woman before him had given him an unprecedented, electric sensation.
The furious agitation that was once so difficult to control collapsed in an instant.
Utterly destroyed.
His heart had finally found an outlet. For the first time, Zhù Shāngchén observed someone so closely: her naturally slender, pale swan-like neck, her small nose, and her lips that were like cherries, ripe and glistening…
It made his heart pound.
He stretched his arms to encircle Mǐ Qiū completely, desperately wanting to knead her into his own body.
“Tell me, what is it that you want?”
Mǐ Qiū looked at him with her large, watery eyes and said, “I am a partner you can trust, your confidante in this world, and even more so, your lover.”
Her voice, growing ever softer, scratched at the man’s heart. “I only want you.”
—
Her thoughts gradually drifted away, further and further…
Mǐ Qiū awoke from the dream, the real sensation of solid abdominal muscles still fresh in her mind.
In this hypnosis session, she had successfully entered Zhù Shāngchén’s deepest dreamscape, becoming his devoted lover and providing him with comfort.
At this moment, her palms were soaked with sweat, a sticky and uncomfortable feeling.
After the first round of hypnotic therapy concluded, Zhù Shāngchén was sleeping soundly. Mǐ Qiū secretly poured the isolation drug into the nutritional iron supplement he took every morning at eight o’clock.
All it would take was for him to wake up and take his required daily supplement, and he would forget everything that had happened in the hypnotic dream.
However, she was now a little thirsty. Before heading back to her room, Mǐ Qiū took the elevator down to the first floor.
Beneath a small, rectangular star-screen that could receive information, Mǐ Qiū grabbed a stack of paper cups from the cabinet below.
She pulled one out for herself, filled it with pure mineral water from the dispenser, and took several large gulps, finally quenching her thirst.
As Mǐ Qiū turned, she collided with someone.
The lights in the living room were already off. The hazy moonlight from outside spilled in, illuminating a portion of the tiled floor, but visibility was still very low.
The water from her cup splashed onto a man’s arm. Flustered, Mǐ Qiū apologized profusely. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you.”
The long sleeve of the man’s black shirt was completely soaked.
He began to unfasten his cufflink with one hand. Mǐ Qiū grabbed a couple of tissues from the table and began to gently wipe his arm.
It was her fault.
In the dim light, she could make out that it was Shěn Qīnghuái.
A faint yellow halo of light coated his face as he leaned down slightly and strode toward her.
“It’s so late. Shouldn’t you be in your room?”
He caught the right hand she was using to wipe his arm, his voice tinged with a smile as he half-jokingly asked, “Tiptoeing around in the middle of the night… could it be that you have a guilty conscience from doing something bad?”
Mǐ Qiū replied, “I was thirsty and just wanted a glass of water. No, I would never do anything bad!”
Shěn Qīnghuái’s smile widened. “I didn’t say you did. No need to rush to explain yourself to me.”
His hand was still clamped around Mǐ Qiū’s wrist. He said to her softly, “I can do it myself.”
Mǐ Qiū instantly snatched her right hand back. Right.
Luckily, the water she’d gotten was room temperature, not hot. A moment later, Mǐ Qiū was back in her room, letting out a sigh of relief.
.
Although she went to bed late, Mǐ Qiū still got up early the next day. Thankfully, she made it in time for the meal Xiao Měi had prepared for her; it wasn’t cold yet.
Breakfast was a fried egg with bacon on a soft roll, a bottle of strawberry-flavored nutrient solution, and a simple vegetable salad. Today’s spread was quite lavish.
Mǐ Qiū’s pink-themed bedroom was in the innermost part of the first floor. When she came out to get her food, she walked through the main hall to see if everyone else was awake. She was surprised to find the three of them already carrying their breakfast trays to the first-floor dining room, sitting around the circular table.
Mǐ Qiū turned to go back but was spotted by Shěn Qīnghuái. “Not going to join us?” he asked.
“I’ll just eat in my room.”
“It’s more lively when we all eat together.”
Mǐ Qiū felt bad refusing his request, as it would make her seem antisocial. She had no choice but to shuffle over. The only empty seat happened to be next to Zhù Shāngchén, so Mǐ Qiū sat down.
Mǐ Qiū occasionally observed the two Sentinels across from her.
Shěn Qīnghuái: Captain of the S-class First Assault Team. In a team full of hidden talents, he, nicknamed “Golden Wolf,” was the most prominent. He was known for taking down Di aliens with speed, precision, and ruthlessness. Ambitious.
Hè Chí: Lead researcher at the Biological Research Institute. His rigorous and meticulous thinking had produced countless experimental results with widespread applications. He had no interest in matters unrelated to his experiments.
Sitting beside her was Zhù Shāngchén, a sniper from the Snow Leopard Field Corps.
He was never very talkative on a normal day. Cold as he was, there was no other information available on him.
Zhù Shāngchén kept his head down, focused only on cutting his bread with a knife and fork, seemingly indifferent to her arrival, as if he hadn’t seen her at all.
This was good. It was the perfect chance to observe his reaction. It meant he had really taken the iron supplement this morning and had cast the matter of the hypnosis completely from his mind.
This meant her first hypnosis session was a success, and her first experiment was also a success!!
This was a good thing for Mǐ Qiū. At least she wouldn’t have to feel afraid and on edge while living with three Sentinels. If things got really bad, there was always Guide Pheromone to keep them stable.
The food Xiao Měi made was truly delicious! It had even managed a runny yolk for the fried egg!
The rich feeling of the yolk breaking and flowing in her mouth sent Mǐ Qiū’s thoughts wandering in a sea of deliciousness. The bacon was perfectly chewy. Finally, she drank a bottle of strawberry nutrient solution, its refreshing taste perfectly neutralizing the grease from the meat.
It was Mǐ Qiū who officially broke the ice at the table.
Having already polished off her plate, she asked the three of them if they were full. If not, they could ask Xiao Měi for another serving.
No one else wanted more. It seemed she was the only one who wasn’t full yet—in truth, Mǐ Qiū’s stomach was already bulging. Let’s have another bacon roll. The butter and cheese sauce in the bread was something she absolutely adored! Once she started eating it, she couldn’t stop.
Mǐ Qiū finally ate to her heart’s content.
Alright, it was time to return her plate to Xiao Měi. Just then, Shěn Qīnghuái, who had already returned his dishes, looked over at Mǐ Qiū.
“So, want to talk?”
Mǐ Qiū didn’t know what she was supposed to say. It was the fourth day, and she still wasn’t very familiar with them.
“Talk about what?”
“Anything is fine, Guide Mǐ Qiū. Why do I get the feeling… you’re always hiding from someone? It’s not like we’re vicious beasts.”
I’m not really hiding from anyone, Mǐ Qiū thought. If she was asked to do her job, she would do her best without a second thought. But that was only in an unreal, illusory dreamscape. There, she could learn to be more adept, to let them experience true soothing power.
But work and life were separate. Right now, for instance, she just wanted to go back to her room and have another nice, long nap.
“I specialize in hypnotism. You all should know that.”
“So, tell us something we don’t know.”
“Guarding this island is my current mission. Every month, I observe the weather and wind direction, record them, and then report to Officer Hè. That’s all.”
“Hypnosis. What’s the procedure?” Hè Chí, the third man to arrive on the island, suddenly interjected.
His spiritual body was a red fox, he had amber-colored eyes, and he was wearing a light-blue shirt with the cuffs rolled up to about two inches above his forearms.
Mǐ Qiū replied, “I can’t go into the details of that.”
Shěn Qīnghuái already had a clear idea in his mind. It was the so-called standard procedure of a Guide soothing a Sentinel. Sure enough, hearing the slightly flustered tremble in her voice, he knew she had been up to no good last night.
Shěn Qīnghuái glanced at Zhù Shāngchén, who was still eating slowly.
“This one here is the most boring of the lot. He truly treasures his words like gold.”
“No wonder he’s a sniper. His focus is strong enough.”
His words reminded Mǐ Qiū of entering his deep dreamscape after the hypnosis last night. So that haystack was a common method snipers used to conceal themselves. Sometimes high up, sometimes down low, searching for targets—they were practically beings who could ascend to the heavens or burrow into the earth.
Once Zhù Shāngchén finished his meal, he left without a sideways glance and returned to his room.
As calm as ever.
She took the last bite of bread from her plate, not wasting a single crumb.
Full and satisfied, Mǐ Qiū found herself waddling. She never would have thought that eating just a tiny bit more would make her stomach bloat up completely, to the point where even her legs felt clumsy.
Hè Chí, the last one remaining at the table, helped take the plate from her hands.
Mǐ Qiū said, “Are you helping me? Thank you, that’s very kind of you.”
As Hè Chí took the plate, his hand accidentally brushed against hers. Compared to his own large palm, her hand was very small, and her fingertips were ice-cold, not very warm.
Even through a pair of white gloves, Mǐ Qiū noticed his hands. His fingers were long and his knuckles were well-defined. She could hardly imagine how beautiful his hands would be without the gloves.
Hè Chí asked her, “Your hands are very cold. Perhaps you’re nervous?”
His eyes were fixed on her, as if he could see through to any thought she had.
“A little nervous, I guess.”
Hè Chí hadn’t said much yesterday. Listening carefully now, she realized his voice was incredibly pleasant, with a very magnetic quality! The ascetic black-striped tie, the white lab coat… Mǐ Qiū slowly came back to her senses.
After he left, Shěn Qīnghuái asked Mǐ Qiū if it was possible to go diving on the island. Mǐ Qiū replied, “There’s an area where you can dive and sea fish, but you must ensure your safety. Based on today’s weather, there shouldn’t be any strong winds or waves.”
“Guide Mǐ Qiū, are you going?”
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