NOVEL NEXT 11
### Chapter 11
“Ugh…”
Before Lu Xi even opened his eyes, his head began to ache, accompanied by waves of nausea and dizziness. He had never felt so uncomfortable before.
He barely managed to open his eyes, in a daze thinking he was on a boat, swaying with the waves.
The first thing he saw was the stark white ceiling. Lu Xi stared blankly at it, his brain like a rusty machine slowly starting up, the gears grinding and screeching in his skull.
Who am I, where am I, and what am I doing?
Hiss…
He pressed his hand to his temple and slowly rolled over.
This was a very simple room, with not many decorations on the walls, just a few scattered sticky notes.
There was a small table by the bed, filled with books.
The pages were dog-eared, the edges frayed, and the spines bore many nicks and dents.
Not far away, against the wall, was a small wardrobe that didn’t look like it could hold many clothes.
On the other side of the bed was a small iron frame holding a pile of compressed biscuits he had seen Xia Baiyuan eat before.
The trash bin was empty, likely just emptied that morning.
Clearly, this wasn’t a hotel or a temporary lodging place, but a room someone lived in regularly.
Whose room was it?
Lu Xi struggled to recall everything that had happened yesterday.
Gradually, his face started to heat up.
Ah… this…
No way… how could this happen…
Ahhhhh!!
When Xia Baiyuan pushed open the door, this was the scene he saw.
The black-haired, red-eyed Zerg was leaning expressionlessly against the bed, his face even showing a hint of gravity.
Xia Baiyuan’s steps paused.
The pause was brief, almost negligible.
He walked into the room nonchalantly. The wooden floor creaked softly, but Lu Xi, lost in his thoughts, didn’t notice a thing.
He was pressing his right hand to his temple, his brow furrowed, looking very uncomfortable.
Xia Baiyuan sat down on the chair beside the bed, handing over a cup: “Drink some honey water, it’ll help.”
The black-haired Zerg visibly flinched, his hair trembling slightly as he widened his eyes at Xia Baiyuan.
It was as if he had truly been startled by something sudden.
Xia Baiyuan raised an eyebrow, indicating the steaming honey water with his gaze.
Lu Xi snapped out of his stupor: “Oh… oh! Thank you.”
He took the honey water and began sipping it slowly, as if he intended to drink it forever, unwilling to look up and meet Xia Baiyuan’s eyes.
Xia Baiyuan spoke softly: “About yesterday…”
But Lu Xi cut him off immediately: “Please, let’s not talk about that.”
The gentle smile on Xia Baiyuan’s face gradually faded as he realized Lu Xi didn’t want to discuss yesterday.
Before entering, Xia Baiyuan had considered many scenarios, but he couldn’t decide what kind of response he wanted from Lu Xi.
He hoped…
He hoped—
Long ago, when Xia Baiyuan was very young, he had a naive thought.
The world was so big, with so many Zerg, surely there would be one who would accept him.
Even though he knew he was odd, at least there would be one who wouldn’t avoid, loathe, or ridicule him.
That was indeed a very naive thought.
So naive that he once mustered the courage to reveal his secret to a trusted female Zerg.
Reality taught him the cost of naivety.
Xia Baiyuan did not want to recall that past. However, since then, he would never reveal that secret to anyone again. If possible, he hoped Lu Xi would never find out. But reality is often bizarre; the more you wish for something not to happen, the more likely it is to occur.
Before opening the door, he still harbored a lot of hope. However, with Lu Xi’s hesitation and resistance, this hope was rapidly dissipating. At least… Lu Xi didn’t show any disgust, did he?
Xia Baiyuan forced a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Really? You don’t want to mention it?” he said softly. “Alright, then we won’t mention it.”
Let’s just leave it at that.
Lu Xi was taken aback. He lifted his face, which was almost buried in the cup, and saw Xia Baiyuan smiling warmly at him. “Rest well. I’ll send a message to your teacher.”
Polite and considerate.
— Cold and distant.
It was as if, in just a few days, the familiarity they had developed had suddenly been shrouded by an invisible, thick barrier.
Lu Xi muttered, “Xia Baiyuan…”
He was at a loss.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
Lu Xi watched Xia Baiyuan’s back, feeling a sudden surge of foreboding. If he let Xia Baiyuan leave now, something bad would definitely happen. This premonition was so strong that he called out, “Wait!”
Xia Baiyuan, who had already reached the door, stopped at his soft call but did not turn around.
“Yes?”
He seemed to still be expecting something impossible.
From behind, he heard Lu Xi getting out of bed, rushing over and grabbing Xia Baiyuan’s forearm.
“Do you really want me to say it?!”
Lu Xi’s voice was slightly raised, his hand trembling from the aftereffects of his hangover. Xia Baiyuan, stiff-necked, still did not turn to look at Lu Xi, but his tightly pressed lips and the rapid flutter of his eyelashes betrayed his nervousness.
“Fine! Fine! If you really have to hear it, then I’ll tell you.”
Xia Baiyuan heard Lu Xi take a deep breath, causing his heart to skip a beat, his ring finger twitching with each heartbeat.
The grip on his arm tightened, and Xia Baiyuan heard Lu Xi loudly say in his ear:
“I lied when I said I could drink! I had never had real alcohol before that! I can’t drink at all!!”
Lu Xi practically shouted with his eyes closed.
QvQ
Xia Baiyuan was so unfair!!!
This was something that should have been understood without needing to be said! Why—why did he have to make Lu Xi say it out loud, and get mad if he didn’t!
How could someone be like this???
Petty.
Full of tricks.
Oh, God, Xia! The image of you being brave, loving, and strategic in the textbooks is completely shattered!
Alas, he had been deceived.
Lu Xi glared at Xia Baiyuan sulkily: “If I had known you were this kind of Zerg…”
Hmph.
The ears hidden beneath the black hair were slightly red. Xia Baiyuan’s attention was completely drawn to that small patch of skin, and he couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it. This made Lu Xi jerk his head back, looking at him warily, “What are you trying to do now?”
Xia Baiyuan: “…You don’t remember?”
Lu Xi: “…”
He looked at Xia Baiyuan tentatively, “Should I remember something?”
Did something else… happen?
Xia Baiyuan didn’t respond.
Lu Xi felt a sudden jolt in his heart.
…Help.
In the Zerg world three thousand years later, people had become so bored that they invented beverages with the flavor of alcohol, tasty and healthy, making real alcohol a rarity. Lu Xi had gradually forgotten that he couldn’t handle alcohol.
So he really didn’t know what he would be like when drunk.
He had heard that some Zerg, when drunk, would kiss others passionately.
He had heard that some Zerg, when drunk, would babble secrets to others.
He had heard that some Zerg, when drunk, would give their bank card passwords to all their friends and family, tearfully declaring they were going to conquer the stars and never return.
He had heard that some Zerg…
Lu Xi felt a wave of suffocation.
Terrified, he looked at Xia Baiyuan with puppy-dog eyes, his voice weak, “Did I… do something embarrassing…?”
Xia Baiyuan stared at him.
“You…”
In that moment, the wall he had just built seemed to melt away like ice under the sun, the sound of glaciers cracking filling the air.
The spikes Xia Baiyuan had raised gradually softened.
Lu Xi didn’t understand what was happening; he looked at Xia Baiyuan, puzzled.
Under his gaze, Xia Baiyuan smiled.
“No, you didn’t do anything.”
Lu Xi: “…”
=口=
No way, you’re acting like you’re hiding a huge secret from me!!!
You look so smug!!!
Xia Baiyuan turned and walked away, and Lu Xi hurriedly followed, shouting, “Something did happen, right? Something must have happened!”
“No.”
“You’re lying to me. I’ll get mad, you know?”
“Oh.”
Lu Xi let out a disbelieving sound, “Are you just brushing me off like this?”
Xia Baiyuan: “Mhm.”
He didn’t even bother to pretend?!
Lu Xi was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion and anxiety.
What—what did he do—
Xia Baiyuan’s voice came, “Didn’t you want to practice shooting?”
Lu Xi, still upset, looked at him, “You’re changing the subject.”
Xia Baiyuan readily admitted, “Yes, I am.”
Lu Xi: QAQ
Then he saw in the empty living room a large, semi-open device resembling a gaming pod.
Xia Baiyuan said to him, “Get in.”
Lu Xi was puzzled, “But aren’t we practicing shooting?”
“Mhm.”
Xia Baiyuan bent down and took out a model gun from inside, one end of the handle connected to a data cable, the other end of the cable connected to the gaming pod.
“At least practice your accuracy first.” Xia Baiyuan’s eyes curved with a smile. “I have a feeling you’ll be a great marksman.”
His blue eyes, like the sky or a clear lake, reflected Lu Xi’s image. He looked at Lu Xi very seriously, his gaze full of expectation.
Lu Xi was stunned.
Under such a gaze, a surge of emotion rose within him. He gripped the gun tightly. “Okay.”
No one can refuse the expectation others place on them.
Such expectations always provide boundless strength, driving one towards their goal.
Lu Xi felt the same.