Part 2
Xiuna suppressed his gossiping heart and turned serious. “Dinner is prepared. You can eat whenever you’re ready.”
With that, Xiuna vanished from Zhu Ran’s sight once more.
Z knelt down again, letting Zhu Ran rest his foot on his knee to apply the medicine.
Zhu Ran had accepted this gesture by now and didn’t struggle at all.
He asked curiously, “Has Xiuna been nearby this whole time?”
Z dipped his finger in the gel and applied it to the wound. “Mm, he’s always around. He’s my adjutant. He’s been by my side ever since I awakened my S-grade ability and gained inheritance rights.”
Zhu Ran lowered his eyes in thought.
An adjutant…
There weren’t many high-ranking individuals in the galaxy who were assigned an adjutant, were there?
The ointment melted the moment it touched Zhu Ran’s skin.
This was the same medicine that had healed Z’s bloody wounds from the electric torture in just a day or two; using it on Zhu Ran’s tiny scratch was overkill.
In just a few minutes, the wound on Zhu Ran’s ankle had vanished.
Zhu Ran pulled his foot back and asked Z while putting on his shoes, “Then the injury to your spiritual sea…”
“I awakened early at age fifteen due to a traumatic event. Since then, my spiritual sea has been extremely unstable. Even with continuous medication every year, there was no improvement.”
“It wasn’t until I met you that things changed.”
Z didn’t hide the truth. “If you hadn’t convinced me to stay by your side back then, my condition wouldn’t be this stable. Xiuna is quite grateful to you.”
Zhu Ran: “Xiuna is grateful to me, but what about you?”
Z stood up and reached out, smoothing Zhu Ran’s hair which had been tousled by the sea breeze.
The ocean was a clear, pale blue, and the waves reflected the brilliant sunlight. The blue-and-gold color scheme matched Z’s eyes—shimmering with light yet surging with hidden depths.
Z’s voice was calm, but his gaze was blunt and intense. “My thoughts regarding you go far beyond mere gratitude.”
Zhu Ran’s eyes flickered.
They had an outdoor barbecue by the sea for dinner. Z did almost all the work, while Zhu Ran only stepped in occasionally to pass seasonings.
Z seemed to have maxed out his cooking talent. The grilled seafood was fragrant on the outside and juicy on the inside, no worse than what one would find in a high-end restaurant.
Z: “Do you want more spice?”
Zhu Ran: “Yes.”
Z: “This beast meat grilled in the shell tastes quite good, try it.”
Zhu Ran: “Don’t just keep giving it to me, you should eat too.”
…
The burning charcoal occasionally spit out sparks with a soft crack.
The warmth and firelight reflected on their faces, casting flickering flames into the depths of their eyes.
Suddenly, from across the water, a soft, long whistle sounded. A streak of fire shot up from the horizon, and spectacular fireworks erupted in the pitch-black night sky.
Red, green, and yellow fireworks bloomed in a magnificent, dazzling display.
On closer inspection, some of the fireworks were even shaped like cat heads. It was very amusing.
The moment the fireworks started, Zhu Ran looked over.
The light of the pyrotechnics illuminated his face, making his eyes shine even brighter, as if they held the stars.
“It’s so beautiful! Z!”
Zhu Ran’s voice was clear, filled with a bright smile.
Z’s gaze stayed fixed on Zhu Ran, the smile on his lips never fading. “Mm.”
The brilliant fireworks display lasted for nearly fifteen minutes.
Such a massive, non-stop show of fireworks left everyone who noticed it in awe.
The personnel serving as guards whispered among themselves:
“Did His Majesty arrange this? He’s actually quite romantic.”
“I wonder who caught His Majesty’s eye. From a distance, that person looks quite young.”
“Could it be an old cow eating tender… mmph!” Before he could finish, someone slapped a hand over his mouth.
In the distance, passersby stopped in their tracks:
“How grand! Is it a major holiday today?”
“I heard the coastline has been cordoned off since yesterday. I wonder who’s here.”
“So beautiful! Hurry, take photos for social media!”
Living in the penthouse of the hotel, Mu Qingzhou only gave it a single glance before drawing the curtains.
He thought he’d seen Z’s car driving toward the coast this afternoon. Had he been mistaken?
The fireworks show ended, and silence returned to the shore, but Zhu Ran’s mood remained vibrant and heated from the colorful display.
Zhu Ran asked, “Did you arrange this?”
Z nodded. “I did.”
Zhu Ran: “I love it, thank you.”
Z took the opportunity to ask, “Then, do you like me a little bit more now?”
Zhu Ran was stunned by the question for a moment, then he nodded. “I do. Probably… this much more.”
As he spoke, Zhu Ran used his hands to gesture a distance about the width of his shoulders.
Z reached out, catching Zhu Ran’s wrists and pulling them further apart. “More than that.”
Zhu Ran pulled his hands back. “No.”
Even the best times must come to an end. After dinner, they spent half an hour walking along the coast in the evening breeze.
Afterward, Z saw Zhu Ran back to his residence and began packing his clothes to return to Jialan Star.
Z opened the wardrobe. Most of the space was filled with various soft knit sweaters, while the shirts Z used to wear only occupied a fifth of the space.
After living with Zhu Ran, Z’s clothing style had shifted toward the soft, casual style Zhu Ran preferred.
As he packed the clothes one by one into the suitcase, Z could clearly remember what he and Zhu Ran were doing when he wore each piece.
This one was from the day of the shop promotion; that one was from the first time he’d tried to make breakfast for Zhu Ran…
Every outfit was filled with memories.
Once the clothes were packed, Z simply stripped the bed, packing those sheets along with the ones Zhu Ran had used at their other home.
The sheets smelled mostly of lavender, with only a hint of Zhu Ran’s unique body fragrance, but it was that tiny trace of scent that Z couldn’t bear to leave behind.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Zhu Ran entered holding jars of daisy tea, rose tea, and four bottles of lavender essential oil.
“Here, take these with you!”
Although Z’s spiritual sea had improved significantly, his damage value was still above 80%, which was classified as a severe injury in interstellar medicine.
The oils Zhu Ran gave him would help stabilize his condition.
“Thank you.”
Z used a spiritual power net to carefully secure the products Zhu Ran had given him to prevent them from breaking.
Zhu Ran’s gaze landed on the suitcase Z had already organized. Z had folded his clothes into neat, perfect squares; it was the kind of sight that would bring peace to anyone with OCD.
However, a moment later, Zhu Ran realized that mixed in with those neat squares of sweaters were… his own bedsheets?
Zhu Ran looked at Z’s suitcase, then at his own stripped bed. He was confused. “Why are you taking my bedsheets?”
Z didn’t show a hint of embarrassment for stealing the bedding. His tone was perfectly matter-of-fact. “They were dirty. I’m taking them to be washed.”
Zhu Ran was about to say he could wash them himself, but Z had already snapped the suitcase shut.
“It’s getting late. I have to go.”
Hearing Z say he was leaving, Zhu Ran’s mood dipped. “Oh. Have a safe trip.”
Z gazed down at Zhu Ran.
Zhu Ran wasn’t very good at hiding his emotions. Normally, the youth always had a mild look about him, as if he were wearing a faint smile, but his dimmed gaze and flattened lips now signaled his poor mood.
Z stepped closer to Zhu Ran, his voice low. “Before I go, can I have a hug?”
Z was a size larger than Zhu Ran, so the posture left Zhu Ran completely enveloped in Z’s shadow.
The scent of lavender filled Zhu Ran’s nose, mixed with Z’s unique aura.
Zhu Ran’s fingers curled, and he followed his heart. “Yes.”
With that, he opened his arms, wrapping one around Z’s side to pat the man’s back.
The gesture wasn’t particularly intimate—at least compared to Z holding Zhu Ran from behind while he slept, Z nuzzling Zhu Ran’s stomach, or Zhu Ran holding Z like a big cat. It could even be considered reserved and polite.
But this was the first time Zhu Ran had proactively offered a hug while fully conscious. Even without a hint of romantic tension, it was enough to bring Z joy.
The corners of Z’s eyes lifted, his mismatched eyes curving into a beautiful arc.
Z didn’t do anything transgressive this time either. He simply wrapped one arm around Zhu Ran’s waist while the other hand stroked the back of the youth’s hair.
Zhu Ran’s waist was very slender, and Z could encircle it effortlessly. Zhu Ran’s hair was fine and soft, emitting his special fragrance.
Zhu Ran was small enough to be completely shielded by Z’s frame, giving Z a profound sense of satisfaction from holding him in his arms.
Z couldn’t help but nuzzle his chin against the top of Zhu Ran’s head, but only for a moment.
He loved holding Zhu Ran like this.
He desperately wanted… to hug Zhu Ran like this every single day…
The parting hug was brief. After about thirty seconds, Z released his hand from Zhu Ran’s hair.
However, his other hand didn’t leave Zhu Ran’s waist immediately, resting lightly against the youth’s side.
His palm was hot, impossible to ignore.
Zhu Ran only glanced down at Z’s hand but didn’t push it away.
He didn’t dislike Z’s touch. To be honest, since Z had a high body temperature, the contact was actually quite comfortable.
Z looked at Zhu Ran intently, tracing the lines of his features; he felt he could never grow tired of the sight.
After a moment, he spoke. “Zhu Ran.”
Zhu Ran looked up. “Hmm?”
“While I’m away, can you promise me one thing? Don’t give anyone else a massage. Not in person, and not in the virtual world.”
Z’s fingers tightened slightly against Zhu Ran’s waist.
The fabric of Zhu Ran’s hoodie rubbed against the smooth skin of his waist, causing a slight itch that made him shiver.
“I wonder if you like me enough to agree to this request?”
Z asked, his voice trailing upward at the end with a unique, lingering charm.
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