NOVEL NEXT 07
Chapter 7
Xia Baiyuan stood up from the ground, his clothes covered in dust, with a tear in the wide sleeve revealing the white shirt underneath. At a glance, it almost seemed like a cutting-edge fashion statement.
Lu Xi wanted to laugh, but when he tried to move his lips, he found he couldn’t. His back was probably strained and likely bruised, causing his mouth to twitch in pain.
Xia Baiyuan looked down at him, and his normally straight lips trembled slightly.
Lu Xi sighed, “If you want to laugh, just laugh.”
Xia Baiyuan, with a serious face, said, “It’s the joy of surviving a disaster.”
Lu Xi: “…”
Lu Xi: “Help me up.”
Xia Baiyuan extended his hand, and Lu Xi noticed his palm was red, probably burned by the gun barrel. When he grasped it, he could still feel the residual warmth and the slight roughness of the calluses.
After Lu Xi stood up, he looked a bit regretful.
“Ow!”
The principal finally snapped out of his stunned state, his reboot speed possibly surpassing that of one percent of the entire zerg race. He hurried over to support Lu Xi’s other arm, saying, “Xia, let’s get him to the infirmary quickly!”
Xia Baiyuan looked Lu Xi up and down. “Can you walk?”
Lu Xi thought he wasn’t made of glass, so to show his strength, he took a big step forward.
—A sharp pain shot through his back, almost causing him to faint on the spot.
His face turned pale as he started to fall to the side, but he ended up leaning against a warm body.
The newly adult female zerg wasn’t very sturdy, his bones protruding under thin skin.
Somehow, Lu Xi was reminded of a kitten he once had, feeling the outline of its bones under its fur.
Xia Baiyuan always wore loose jackets, so Lu Xi hadn’t realized how thin he was.
“Let’s go.”
Lu Xi: “…Oh.”
Lu Xi then turned to the principal, “Principal, I’ll leave the documents to you.”
The principal smacked his forehead. “What time is it now… I need to hurry for approval—Xia, please take him to get his wound treated, I need to go.”
The principal left without any formalities, his practical nature shining through, different from most researchers.
Watching the principal’s cheerful departure, Lu Xi swallowed the words, “Aren’t you going to verify the goods?”
= v =
He might as well wait for him to study it first!
———
The infirmary was empty, the teacher nowhere to be seen. Injuries were common in the military school, and the teacher’s absence likely meant dealing with an urgent injury.
For Lu Xi’s minor injury, he could just apply some ointment himself.
Xia Baiyuan, familiar with the place, opened the cabinet, took out a bottle of medicated oil, and the air was instantly filled with a pungent smell. Female zergs had a more sensitive sense of smell, but Xia Baiyuan didn’t even flinch.
Sitting beside Lu Xi, Xia Baiyuan said, “Take it off.”
Lu Xi: ?????
Isn’t this inappropriate?! It’s quite embarrassing, haha.
He awkwardly said, “I can do it myself.”
Xia Baiyuan stared at him, “Your back is injured, right?”
His expression clearly said, I want to see how you’ll do it yourself.
“I have long arms, I can reach,” Lu Xi waved his hand in front of Xia Baiyuan, the black ring on his left middle finger glinting, making his hand look even more slender and attractive. “Besides, it’s just a minor injury, it’ll heal on its own even if I leave it alone.”
Xia Baiyuan squinted his eyes and slammed the bottle of medicated oil onto the table, “You won’t also…”
As the sound faded, Lu Xi couldn’t hear clearly: “What?”
To hear better, he instinctively leaned towards Xia Baiyuan—
Xia Baiyuan suddenly lifted his head, and their noses almost brushed against each other.
Lu Xi: …Huh?
Those cyan-blue eyes were so close, and getting closer.
Xia Baiyuan crossed his arms and leaned in towards Lu Xi, who was forced to lean back bit by bit. “Xia—”
Too close. Lu Xi shut his mouth tightly.
“You wouldn’t be…”
Lu Xi’s chair leaned back at a dangerously sharp angle, wobbling precariously.
At that moment, the infirmary door was forcefully flung open, the wooden door slamming against the wall and bouncing back. Simultaneously, an enraged shout exploded like thunder:
“Damn his ancestors!!!”
Startled, Lu Xi’s chair finally gave way, crashing to the floor with a bang!
Entering was a tall female zerg wearing a white coat. His sturdy frame and determined square face made him look like a soldier, or even a butcher. Coupled with the old bloodstains on his coat, he could easily be mistaken for an executioner.
He looked like everything but a doctor.
He was carrying a student on his back, reeking of blood. Fresh blood even trickled from the student onto the doctor.
The doctor gaped at Lu Xi in shock.
The overturned chair, already old, was now completely broken. Xia Baiyuan barely caught Lu Xi by the clothes, preventing him from falling completely.
Standing among the debris, Lu Xi looked hopelessly at the doctor.
At this moment, Lu Xi remembered his father’s words about him.
“Wherever you go, things fall apart. It’s not on purpose, but I wish it were—at least there’d be hope.”
The hot-tempered doctor glanced at the wrecked chair but surprisingly didn’t get angry. He merely said coldly, “Get your own medicine. I’m too busy to deal with you.”
With that, he carried the student into the back room.
Lu Xi looked at Xia Baiyuan with a sense of grievance.
Yet, despite this, Xia Baiyuan’s face remained cold. However, those red eyes involuntarily reminded one of a large animal.
Xia Baiyuan didn’t look at him, his gaze followed the doctor—or rather, the injured student. A shadow of worry crossed his face, as if recalling something unpleasant.
“Xia Baiyuan?”
Xia Baiyuan snapped out of it, touching his nose and lowering his eyelashes. “Sorry.”
Lu Xi screamed internally for a bit.
He cleared his throat. “No need to be so polite, after all, we are—”
After a moment’s thought, Lu Xi found the right term: “A closely bonded client-service provider relationship.”
Well, that was indeed a solid, almost do-or-die relationship.
Xia Baiyuan’s lips lifted slightly in a forced smile.
From the back room came intermittent sobbing, faint and sorrowful, sounding as if in extreme pain. It made Lu Xi shiver and rub his ears, goosebumps rising all over. He asked, “What kind of training is this? How could it be so brutal?”
If even a female zerg was in this state, wouldn’t he be down on the spot?
Unlike other resilient male zergs, Lu Xi was practical: he’d use his mental strength to attack rather than face something head-on… Who cares if he’s unorthodox! It’s about playing to his strengths!
Listening to the female zerg’s cries, Lu Xi shuddered.
Not that he wanted to back out… At least give him a heads-up!
Xia Baiyuan’s voice turned cold: “That’s not training.”
Lu Xi was confused and responded with an “Hm? What is it?”
The silver-haired female zerg tilted his head slightly, his expression inscrutable.
Nansheng Military Academy attracted female zergs not only because there were resident male zergs but also because these male zergs had accepted the academy’s agreements. Unlike the males outside, these males wouldn’t harm female zergs without reason, and the females didn’t need to kneel before them. Here, they were harmless, the kind of males all females dreamed of.
Although it was unclear what the academy had done, it now seemed… not much.
Those injuries were not from training. They were whip marks, knife wounds, and cigarette burns… There were binding marks on the wrists and ankles.
Even in that brief glance, Xia Baiyuan had clearly seen the unnatural droop of the female’s wings, which bore severe tear marks.
The wings of a female zerg were the most vulnerable part; unlike other areas, they were difficult to heal and would leave lasting damage. If the wings were injured, a female’s combat ability would be greatly diminished.
This was a military academy.
Complain to the academy? No, the most they could do was annul the agreement, nothing more.
Such was the harsh reality; male zergs were this repulsive.
A strong sense of disgust accumulated in his eyes. Xia Baiyuan closed his eyes forcefully, and when he opened them, the confused face of the black-haired zerg came into view.
This was an unscarred face.
He must have been well protected. Even after seeing such a female zerg, he still didn’t understand what had happened.
Xia Baiyuan grew increasingly anxious, his brows knitting tightly together.
This wouldn’t do.
Such a naive female zerg would have no defenses against any male, trusting every male that approached. But males brought only disaster and pain. Without careful vigilance, he would eventually be destroyed.
“What exactly happened to him?” Lu Xi asked again.
“…”
Xia Baiyuan looked at Lu Xi, his guava-seed-like red eyes clear and unclouded.
No.
It wasn’t necessary now.
Xia Baiyuan thought, he was just a hired bodyguard for Lu Xi and had no right to interfere in his employer’s life.
But deep in his heart…
Yet, there was a faint voice telling him that this wasn’t right.
Facing such eyes, Xia Baiyuan couldn’t bring himself to reveal those nauseating truths to Lu Xi, making him feel scared and panicked.
The more he experienced, the more he understood how difficult it was for Lu Xi to maintain his current personality.
In his unease and hesitation, Xia Baiyuan reassured himself that it was okay. Even if danger arose, he could handle it—at least for this year. If necessary, he would protect Lu Xi.
“Nothing,” Xia Baiyuan averted his gaze and said lightly, “Just some minor games.”
“…”
Lu Xi was utterly stunned.
Minor games????
Do you females really go this far for fun?
Games might be enjoyable, but they’re harmful!
Xia Baiyuan reached out his hand, “Give me the medicated oil. How long are you planning to endure?”
Lu Xi reluctantly agreed, “Alright, alright.”
Lu Xi took off his shirt and lay down on the folding bed.
Xia Baiyuan looked at his bruised back and felt a momentary breathlessness.
Lu Xi, with his head buried, waited for a while without feeling any movement from Xia Baiyuan, and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“Where… are your wings?”
There were no slits on Lu Xi’s back for storing wings.
A female without wings?
Xia Baiyuan pursed his lips tightly, his eyes growing darker, like a deep ancient spring.
Lu Xi didn’t notice. He excitedly lifted his head, “Exactly!”
The black-haired zerg’s red eyes sparkled, devoid of expected pain, but filled with excitement.
Xia Baiyuan stared at him in shock.
How could there be such a female… didn’t he realize what this meant?
Lu Xi was extremely thrilled, “I’ve never had wings since I was little, so of course I don’t have any now~”
“Because,” he looked at Xia Baiyuan with firm resolve and said each word clearly, “I am a male!”
Xia Baiyuan stared at him: =-=
Then, he pressed his hand on Lu Xi’s back and pushed hard—
“Gentler! Gentler! It hurts, Xia Baiyuan! Be gentle!”
“I’m not here to scratch your back.”
Lu Xi: QAQ
Lu Xi, dead.