Chapter 32: 032 part 1
Zhu Ran’s beautiful green eyes were like dazzling emeralds—clear, brimming with trickling vitality, and swirling with a mesmerizing luster.
Staring into those eyes, Zefaer suddenly recalled how, back in the interrogation room, Zhu Ran had looked at him with those same beautiful eyes, coaxing him with a soft, gentle voice. And so, he had submerged himself in that verdant hue, drowning in that warm tenderness, and spoke his truth… Very beautiful.
Zefaer’s heterochromatic eyes now mirrored Zhu Ran’s gaze once more, his emotions surging upward. Indeed… they were very beautiful.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Zhu Ran hooked a finger into the bandages across Z’s chest and gave a light tug. The bandages unraveled layer by layer, falling away to reveal Z’s scarred torso.
The electric shock wounds had subsided significantly after a night of treatment. The unsightly, blood-streaked char marks from yesterday had faded, turning into shades of blue and purple. Although it still looked severe, at least it was no longer a bloody mess.
Zhu Ran scooped up some ointment to apply to Z’s skin.
“Fine. How do you want to be punished?” Zefaer asked, struggling to steady his racing heart.
However, being stripped bare by Zhu Ran in Zhu Ran’s home, with Zhu Ran’s hands constantly wandering over his body… the soft, gentle Zhu Ran and that alluring fragrance left Zefaer’s mind in a state of unrest. Even though Zefaer knew Zhu Ran was merely changing his dressings without a single ulterior motive, it still stirred him deeply.
Zefaer’s breathing grew rapid, and his skin temperature gradually rose.
Zhu Ran noticed the changes in Z’s body. Remembering how he himself had been made to blush by a few words from Z yesterday, he decided to return the favor.
“Speaking of which, you seemed to say yesterday… that you wanted me? And that I was… beautiful?”
“I don’t think I quite understand.”
Zhu Ran slowed his tempo as he spoke, his voice rising slightly at the end, creating an unintentional air of ambiguity.
“I…”
With one of the involved parties bringing up his momentary slip of the tongue from yesterday, Zefaer suddenly didn’t know how to respond. He gripped the blanket, his aura becoming agitated yet deep.
Zhu Ran’s fingers, coated in ointment, happened to be treating the wounds on Zefaer’s chest. His slender, beautiful knuckles moved back and forth across Zefaer’s perfectly muscled physique. The viscous ointment melted, turning translucent and leaving a faint, shimmering trail.
Zefaer looked down and saw Zhu Ran’s fluffy head, the fair curve of his nape, and… the hand touching his body. The scent in the room was light, the temperature was comfortably warm, and amidst the coziness lingered a flavor called “home.”
A certain string in his mind snapped.
Zefaer abruptly caught the hand Zhu Ran was using to apply the medicine, easily encircling the youth’s slender wrist.
“I said it.”
The temperature of Z’s palm was scorching, and his aura became intense—not the destructive intensity of a spiritual sea riot, but the forceful surge of bursting male hormones.
With Z gripping his wrist, Zhu Ran found himself unable to break free due to the vast difference in strength. He stopped applying the medicine and looked up directly at Z, his eyes questioning why he was being held.
Zefaer spoke without reservation.
“You are very good-looking. Your aura makes me feel very comfortable. In my berserk state, I couldn’t help but want to get close to you, approach you, and claim you as mine.”
It was still a blunt, even somewhat suggestive confession. However, hearing Zefaer say these words while conscious was far more impactful than the honest outpouring of his subconscious.
“Zhu Ran, I am not a good person, and I am very dangerous. I don’t know what I might do to you when I lose consciousness.”
“In the future, if you encounter me in a berserk state again, leave me be.”
With that, Zefaer released Zhu Ran’s hand. The flirtatious atmosphere vanished instantly, replaced by a bone-chilling coldness.
“Give me the medicine. I’ll do it myself.”
He reached for the ointment in Zhu Ran’s hand, but Zhu Ran didn’t give it to him. Zefaer reached again, but this time, his wrist was caught by Zhu Ran.
Zhu Ran: “You’re clearly worried about me getting hurt, yet you insist on sounding like you’re chasing me away.”
Zhu Ran’s strength wasn’t great; even in his weakened state, Zefaer could have easily broken free. However, Zefaer only made a token movement with his wrist and allowed Zhu Ran to hold him.
Zhu Ran asked the question that had been bothering him: “Huinai said the natural plants I cultivate are useful to you. Why didn’t you buy them from me directly? Were you worried about me getting hurt then, too?”
“I was on a mission. It was unsafe to be too closely associated with you.”
When Zefaer arrived on Aipusi Star to track the stolen weapons case, he already knew there were problems with the people around him. Therefore, for safety reasons, Zefaer hadn’t wanted further contact with Zhu Ran, fearing others might notice something.
And now… although the traitors by his side had been executed on the spot, some people had revealed themselves due to the news he leaked—that “Zefaer Sawyer was heavily injured and unconscious due to a spiritual sea riot.” Zefaer didn’t want to drag Zhu Ran into this mess.
Zhu Ran understood.
“So, you clearly had a way to control the spiritual sea riot, but because you were worried about my safety, you not only said nothing but also tried to push me away. As a result, you ended up breaking in and hurting someone, and after accepting your punishment, you’re forced to recover at my house.”
Zhu Ran’s tone shifted: “Why do I feel like I’m not exactly safe right now either?”
Zefaer pursed his lips and didn’t answer. Zhu Ran let go of Z’s hand and pressed his hands onto Z’s shoulders, making him turn around so he could apply medicine to his back.
“Let me ask you this: did you hurt me this time?”
Zefaer was silent for a moment before answering, “No.”
“You didn’t hurt me, and the danger you imagined didn’t hurt me either. On the contrary, if you don’t receive further soothing, you’ll enter a berserk state again, and that might lead to you hurting me. Therefore, the highest priority is stabilizing your spiritual sea.”
Zhu Ran spoke with clear logic and conviction. Starting from his own perspective, he coaxed and guided the conversation step-by-step toward Z’s need for treatment.
Zhu Ran discovered that Z was actually very soft-hearted inside. With so many people guarding him in the interrogation room, Zhu Ran guessed that Z’s position in the military was likely quite high. Z could have easily been forceful and negotiated to buy the natural plants; as a mere interstellar citizen, Zhu Ran would have had no right to refuse.
But Z said nothing. Z would rather be injured himself than hurt others, staying strictly outside the safety line without overstepping an inch, only to end up covered in wounds.
He has such a cold and ruthless face, yet who knew he was such a… gentle person?
He’s just not very good at speaking; the things he says can be hurtful, Zhu Ran critiqued internally.
Zhu Ran applied the ointment to Z’s broad back and wrapped it in bandages. The injuries that had just healed a few days ago were once again a mess of scars. He really didn’t cherish himself at all.
After finishing the medicine, Zhu Ran helped him into his pajamas. He didn’t get up to leave but sat by the bed, looking at Z with a gentle gaze. His voice was soft, like a spring day when the snow melts, carrying a soul-soothing warmth.
“Z, you won’t hurt anyone, and you can’t hurt me. Don’t worry so much.”
Zefaer lowered his head. Strands of golden hair fell over his deep eye sockets, brushing against his long eyelashes. His aura trembled slightly.
You won’t hurt anyone…
Zefaer hadn’t heard those words in a very long time. Ever since his early awakening made him difficult to control and he was witnessed in a violent, unconscious state several times, almost everyone had avoided him. They stayed far away, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire of some accidental calamity.
The staff at the manor hid when they saw him: “His Majesty is here, hurry, let’s go! I don’t want to die yet.”
Legends about him circulated through the Interstellar: “I heard His Majesty lost control and killed several more people last night. It’s terrifying.”
In some novels based on him, he was described like this: “He is a murderer, a demon! He is brutally excessive and gained his rule through blood.”
Zefaer simply ignored these people and their evaluations. He didn’t care.
Until one time during a spiritual sea riot, he accidentally hurt Huinai. Covered in blood from the aftermath, Huinai had forced a smile: “Your Majesty, don’t feel bad. My injury isn’t your fault.”
Afterward, Zefaer acted on the surface as if nothing had happened, but his already scarred heart had turned into a colorless grey. Perhaps from the very beginning… he shouldn’t have gotten close to anyone. He only brought misfortune to others; even those close to him weren’t spared.
But today, Zhu Ran told him that he wouldn’t hurt anyone…
Zefaer suddenly felt as if a warm current had brushed through his heart, gentle and light. There was also a hint of sourness.
Maybe… he thought.
Seeing Z’s emotions settle and that he was no longer so resistant, Zhu Ran took the opportunity to step further: “Remember when I said I was going to punish you?”
Zefaer was very calm now. He nodded. “I remember. How do you want to punish me?”
Zhu Ran watched Z’s subdued appearance. The man still had that sharp, chiseled, and aggressive exterior, but to Zhu Ran, it wasn’t scary at all.
“How about being my laborer for a month?” Zhu Ran listed the terms one by one, his voice relaxed and at ease. “Help me pack shipments, monitor the shop’s public opinion, test new products and give feedback, clean the house…”
Zefaer chuckled softly. He didn’t miss the “test new products” buried among the list of conditions. He guessed that Zhu Ran wanted to use this opportunity to soothe his spiritual sea symptoms.
If Zhu Ran had proposed this before their conversation, Zefaer would never have agreed. Being so close to Zhu Ran, he didn’t know what unexpected things he might do; perhaps… perhaps he would hurt him again, like that day.
It was just that… Zhu Ran’s words today—”you won’t hurt anyone”—made the persistence and barriers in Zefaer’s heart recede.
“Alright.” Zefaer agreed after a moment’s thought.
If it was Zhu Ran… he could give it a try.
His blue and gold heterochromatic eyes looked at Zhu Ran. Perhaps because he was in a better mood, there was more life in those eyes. It was almost as if he were smiling.
Seeing this, Zhu Ran smiled easily. “You agreed just like that? Aren’t you afraid I’ll make some unreasonable demands?”
Zefaer countered, “How unreasonable?”
Zhu Ran looked Z up and down. “You have a good build. How about making money as a male model? The kind that only wears underwear.”
“Your face is good too. Maybe you could sell your looks.”
“Or maybe…”
Zefaer considered it seriously. “Male modeling and showing my face probably won’t work.”
Zhu Ran: “I was joking with you! You actually took it seriously…”
Zefaer: “I was just seriously considering your joke.”
The two chatted in the room for a while longer, just like friends. The atmosphere was more relaxed than ever before. The invisible barrier between them had vanished.
Zhu Ran needed to handle the shop’s daily tasks, so he left the room. Zefaer leaned against the bed, his gaze falling on the two pots of lavender at the foot of the bed that Zhu Ran had placed there to help him sleep. He closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. It was a peace he had never experienced before.
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