Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 17: Package

Sunlight filled the room as Xi Tian sat cross-legged on the floor, an opened delivery package in front of him.

Since they hadn’t formally completed the paperwork, Xi Tian couldn’t access Ellis’s bank account. With the mindset of “eventually, both he and his money will be mine,” Xi Tian didn’t accept Ellis’s transfer requests and directly linked the payment account to Ellis’s terminal. To emphasize Ellis’s role as the head of the household, he even changed the recipient name to Ellis. Every time a package arrived, Xi Tian would tease Ellis, saying, “The head of our household has another package.” In response, he would receive a knowing smile from Ellis.

Early in the morning, Ellis was called out by his friends for a gathering. Ellis had asked Xi Tian about it, and Xi Tian, pleased that Ellis was maintaining his social connections, had agreed with a nod.

Less than an hour later, a delivery package arrived at the door. When signing for it, Xi Tian saw “Recipient: Ellis” and assumed it was his package, so he opened it without much thought.

The outer layer of the package was an ordinary, unremarkable natural wood pulp color. Upon opening it, the inside revealed a very eye-catching pink box, with the words “Understands you best” and a kiss symbol on the side.

The pink box wasn’t sealed, and Xi Tian knew without opening it what was inside.

“Heartfelt” was a specialty store for adult female pleasure products. As an avid follower of the female and sub-female sections, Xi Tian immediately recognized the package as the “beginner’s toolkit” for pleasure products that many females humorously referred to.

The beginner’s toolkit included various items to enhance bedroom activities, such as beginner-level low-temperature candles, restraints, handcuffs, ropes, a pocket knife, and more.

After thoroughly recalling his recent purchases three times, Xi Tian concluded that Ellis must have ordered this package.

Judging by the date on the packing list, it was ordered two days ago. Xi Tian stroked his chin, wondering why his mate would buy these items.

Could it be that Ellis was dissatisfied with his lack of variety in their activities and silently protested by purchasing these items?

But Ellis’s responses had seemed quite enthusiastic.

The question remained: why did Ellis buy this?

Xi Tian decided to put himself in Ellis’s shoes. If it were him, under what circumstances would he buy these things?

…Hmm, a group buy?

Perhaps because of the cooler weather, everyone had been less inclined to be intimate, so Heartfelt might have had a group buy promotion to boost sales?

Group buys at a great discount, you can’t lose; buying is profiting.

Xi Tian’s mind conjured up the yelling advertisements of various online retailers, which had once pushed his savings to the brink.

This ridiculous speculation made Xi Tian laugh.

But then, he glanced at the top right corner of his bookshelf, where a stack of books he had bought only to meet the minimum purchase requirement sat, and felt a pang of regret.

To distract himself, he opened the “beginner’s toolkit” and found a palm-sized pink booklet inside.

Xi Tian had a habit of inspecting any printed material with text.

The first page featured bold, simplistic drawings. As soon as Xi Tian’s eyes landed on it, his face flushed red.

He wanted to put it down but was curious about the content.

With every page he turned, he heard a voice in his mind shouting: “Put it down! Put it down now!”

However, another soft, small voice countered: “Just one more page. Just one more, then I’ll stop.”

And so, he ended up reading the whole booklet.

When he closed the booklet, Xi Tian’s face was completely red, and he helplessly covered it with his hands.

He could hear the throbbing of his arteries in his head, and his usually dry palms were slightly sweaty, his fingers cold and trembling in the air.

I think I’ve opened the door to a new world.

Xi Tian heard that small voice again.

Belatedly, he realized it was his own voice.

Xi Tian took out the wrapped pocket knife from the package.

The pocket knife had a spring mechanism. The handle was only the length of his palm. After feeling for the switch, the blade sprang out with a swoosh, gleaming brightly.

The blade was intricately engraved, and both sides were not sharpened.

Xi Tian pressed it hard against his palm, leaving only a faint, painless white mark that quickly disappeared as his skin’s elasticity restored itself.

The novelty pocket knife wouldn’t actually harm a female’s body; it was used to add a bit of fun through its pressure.

The booklet’s footnote read: “Do not insert it into the back, it will hurt~T^T.”

Remembering his own words about thrusting it in the previous night, a wave of shame washed over him.

He didn’t know how to play these games.

However, thinking back to last night when Ellis handed him the knife, he felt a chill down his spine.

It seemed Ellis had also only heard about bedroom games and naively prepared a real knife.

Fortunately, both of them were novices, and they ended up using a normal position.

But now, after reading the illustrated guide in the booklet, the positions he once found exciting seemed bland.

His face still warm, his curiosity piqued, Xi Tian was eager to try them out.

He began to feel grateful that Ellis had gone out with friends, allowing him to learn so much.

Thinking about it, he realized he had never studied any guides on bedroom techniques.

The collective wisdom of the masses was invaluable. His self-taught methods couldn’t compare to the knowledge distilled from countless predecessors and experimenters over the years.

Xi Tian’s eyes brightened. He quickly pulled up his terminal, projected the screen, and opened his favorite male forum section to start reading tutorials.

At that moment, Ellis was sitting with Angie and Owen around a hotpot.

Ellis was about to drop a piece of frozen meat into the bubbling red broth when he felt a tickle in his nose. He quickly grabbed a handkerchief and muffled a sneeze.

Angie, scooping chili sauce into his bowl, noticed and asked, “Ellis, are you wearing too little? You’ve sneezed three times since we started eating.”

Owen tapped Angie’s hand and took the chili bottle from him. “You’re putting too much.”

Angie replied with an “Oh.”

Owen smiled at Ellis. “Is someone thinking about you?”

“How could that be?”

Ellis’s mind flashed to his master’s face, making him feel a bit shy.

Angie perked up. “Hey, Ellis, you’re blushing. Are you thinking about your mate?”

Ellis smiled sheepishly, implicitly confirming it.

Owen remained calm. “Ellis, you haven’t been to the base for a while. Have you settled things for good?”

Ellis nodded.

Owen asked, “When do you plan to get married?”

“Mid-next month,” Ellis thought for a moment and added, “If all goes well.”

It was already mid-October.

Owen continued, “Will you be on leave until then?”

Angie, who was fishing for vegetable balls in the hotpot, chimed in, “Ellis will come back to the base after the wedding. It’s okay to rest a bit longer.”

Ellis laughed, “Yes, it’s approved. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime engagement, after all. I want to enjoy it.”

At that moment, Angie dropped a dish into the hotpot so quickly that it was empty before he could see what it was. “Engagement, huh? It sounds so enviable, having such a romantic mate. Hey! Why did you kick me?” Angie glared at Owen, then turned back to Ellis, “Have you guys been intimate yet? Tell us, how’s your mate’s technique? Any special preferences?”

Females were well aware of what “special preferences” implied.

Ellis poked at the broth in his bowl, his face turning red. “My mate… well, doesn’t have any special preferences. His technique… uh, is very satisfying.”

“Sigh, a mate with no special preferences is really rare,” Angie said, glancing meaningfully at Owen. “Without any toys, it lacks a lot of fun, doesn’t it?”

Owen gripped his chopsticks tightly, making his knuckles crack.

“You could suggest to your mate to try some ‘special preferences.’ The popular beginner’s toolkit is really good.”

Ellis immediately latched onto the key point, “You have a partner?! How come you never mentioned it?”

Angie laughed, “We’ve been dating for two months.”

Ellis exclaimed, “I can’t believe you’re the first among us to have a partner. You’ve kept it so secret.”

Angie chuckled, “I’ll introduce you sometime.”

Ellis asked, “Is your partner not a male? A sub-female, maybe?”

Males typically disdain attending female gatherings; otherwise, Ellis would have loved to bring his mate along.

“You’ll see when you meet,” Angie evaded the question, changing the subject. “Speaking of toys, let me recommend some top-rated posts. Personal experience, they’ll definitely help you keep your mate’s interest.”

Saying this, he scooted closer to Ellis, distancing himself from Owen, and began to whisper.

Owen watched Angie intently, but as Angie and Ellis became absorbed in the projection on Angie’s terminal, their close proximity pricked at him. “I’m going to get more food,” he said, leaving the table.

“Get me two plates of meatballs, thanks~” Angie called after him with a smile.

“Angie, I feel like something is off between you and Owen today,” Ellis said hesitantly. “Did you two have a fight?”

“Impossible,” Angie refuted, his smile bright.

“In the past, you wouldn’t have been this enthusiastic.”

“Maybe love has made me passionate,” Angie said, beaming.

Since Angie denied it, Ellis let it go and continued asking Angie for details.

When they parted, both Owen and Angie hugged Ellis. Owen said, “Take care of yourself. If he ever hurts you, you must tell me.” Angie whispered in his ear, “I have a gift for you; you’ll know when you get home.”

Ellis’s heart warmed. These were his friends!