Chapter 14

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Translator’s Note: This is a locked chapter.

Chapter 14

【Six】

Everyone had a birthday. Their birthdate was termed their birthday. It was like a mark. The rotation of year after year left this mark again and again in a person’s life.

This was Wu Zhi’s 40th birthday. He supposed that he can still experience another round of 40 years. But two more rounds of 40 would challenge too much of their imagination. Even if Wu Zhi was properly provided with good food and drinks — Ye Qingling was practically conserving his health in all manners so that at forty years old, Wu Zhi still looked like he was in his twenties and thirties. It was not just his physiology. Wu Zhi’s mentality was taken care of so well by Ye Qingling that he never grew up. But Wu Zhi was still well-aware that he had no way of living until 120 years of age — Even if his body could last until then, he must be old beyond recognition: grey-haired, teeth falling out, skin wrinkled, as dry as tree bark. Would anyone be able to endure struggling at death’s door as a skeleton in this world?

For a forty-year-old, what should their birthday be like? Wu Zhi did not know. With two panda eyes, his rage simmered inside himself. What happened in the morning had practically taken half of his life. Then, that main culprit who had his fill told him, utterly appeased: Wu Zhi, we’re going for a date.

Ye Qingling never used some modal particles, so his speech always seemed like an unquestionable command. After living with him for all these years, Wu Zhi had already long grown used to Ye Qingling’s cold tone, but this time, he was still shocked. A date? …that felt like a phrase from the far remote, Wu Zhi thought in a trance. To run out of the house for a movie date with a girlfriend, or to roam the streets for fun during the weekends, that seemed like something that belonged to a century ago. Right now, they were in an apocalyptic world. And Wu Zhi was currently kept in captivity by Ye Qingling.

Ye Qingling was the type that acted quickly. He cleaned up the dazed Wu Zhi, wrapping Wu Zhi up before taking him away.

It was a strange day. Each time Wu Zhi recalled this date, his expression would turn extremely odd and complicated.

They came to the biggest Yezhi Amusement Park in Ganquan City. Every theme park had their own mascot; Yezhi Amusement Park’s mascots were Zhizhi and Yeye — a pair of adorable, honest-looking dolls. The pink one was Yeye, and the blue one was Zhizhi. In the few times Wu Zhi visited, he often saw the employees donned in giant mascot costumes. Dressed as Zhizhi and Yeye, they would attract the children’s attention.

Wu Zhi widened his eyes. He stared at the various brightly-colored ticket counters. A Zhizhi stood there. Adhering to the established rules, Ye Qingling fished out two tickets from his pocket. Then, he pulled Wu Zhi into the theme park. Wu Zhi could not help looking back at the Zhizhi at the entrance. He stammered, “Y-Ye Qingling, the Zhizhi at the entrance—”

Ye Qingling did not respond and only held Wu Zhi’s hand carefully and tightly. Wu Zhi was dragged away by Ye Qingling. His eyes bulged as he saw the Zhizhis and Yeyes on the way — in the shops, in the attractions, on patrol, sweeping the grounds, selling cakes, giving out balloons… Even the attraction facilities they were at were activated by those costumed in pink or blue dolls. They were only an arm’s reach away, working as per normal. For a moment, Wu Zhi even thought that he was still in that same world. Except that they had booked the entire amusement park, so all those Zhizhis and Yeyes were serving them alone.

With these blues and pinks, the empty theme park appeared lively. The only ones here to play were Wu Zhi and Ye Qingling. They did not need to queue, with no need to wait. They could play whatever attraction they wanted. Even if they repeatedly played a single attraction until they tire of it, no one would complain either. The ever-present Zhizhis and Yeyes were only working silently. As if sensing something, Wu Zhi said nothing else, wholeheartedly throwing himself into the fun as if he wanted to forget everything.

During their break, Ye Qingling headed to buy some barbeque. Wu Zhi collapsed on the bench, doing shoulder shrugs as he sighed. Perhaps, he had truly turned old.

“Clang—” Wu Zhi turned his head. In the distance, a Zhizhi was pulling out a dustpan from a trash bin.

Wu Zhi wavered for a moment, but approached it after all. Zhizhi held a broom as it swept the area around the trash bin. Wu Zhi stood beside it, silently fixing his gaze at how Zhizhi robotically— or should he say, uncomfortably — swept that spotless ground. He was just like a bewildered child sweeping the grounds with an incompatible tool. And looked even more like a robot with a coil spring, hesitatingly and stiffly sweeping away the non-existent dust.

“Hey—”

Zhizhi was still “busy” sweeping the ground, ignoring Wu Zhi beside him. Wu Zhi was about to take another step closer when he heard it. Between the rustles of the broom on the ground, the rotting sound of something contained in something else.

Splat. Splat. Splat.

Wu Zhi froze for a long while on the spot, before he silently turned to leave.

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The final attraction was the Ferris wheel. Right now, night had fallen. The giant Ferris wheel glimmered prettily. Wu Zhi leaned on the glass, looking down as he made fun of Ye Qingling sitting opposite to him, “I thought only girls like this kind of thing.”

But Ye Qingling’s one sentence turned Wu Zhi speechless.

“I’ve always wanted to make love with you here.”

Let’s not even talk about how the person who said it remained immaculate and indifferent as usual. Wu Zhi recalled his miserable state this morning, and flipped out.

“How about you have a taste of being fucked awake once?!”

The moment he yelled, Wu Zhi wished he could slap himself. Wasn’t he touching his own sore spot? It was not that they did not try before. Ye Qingling had always spoiled Wu Zhi, and did not mind being the top or bottom at all. Wu Zhi had tried to top once, and that time… what a tragic scene was that? Fucking hell, Ye Qingling may not be a human, but Wu Zhi was still a human. Being the top did feel crazy good, but it expended a great deal of energy. The most miserable part was that when Wu Zhi was so drained that he could barely keep his eyes open, Ye Qingling’s sexual drive was still high. Then, he said, “You can rest, I’ll do it”, before he flipped their positions. Then, very uselessly, Wu Zhi was fucked until… incontinence. Ever since that day, Wu Zhi never broached the topic of topping again.

“I-I think that for such things, it’s best if we do it in moderation, in moderation…” Wu Zhi laughed drily. He felt stark naked under Ye Qingling’s gaze. “I’m not young anymore…”

The moment the words were out, the two froze on the spot. Silence befell them abruptly in this tiny capsule car.

Yeah. Wu Zhi was no longer young. Once these forty years passed, he could still live the next forty years, but what about the following forty years after that? What about the countless forty years after? Ye Qingling would still be there, but Wu Zhi would have turned into dust. Ye Qingling took care of Wu Zhi well, but that was simply health maintenance. Wu Zhi knew how frantically Ye Qingling had searched for a solution: Wu Zhi’s body absolutely could not survive the virus infection. Even if he was forcefully infected, he could only turn into those mindless zombies. So, Ye Qingling could only search for other solutions. He flipped through countless medical books, searched for legends, and even ran to seek cooperation from the Doctors’ Syndicate while bearing the risk of being exposed. Medical science was very advanced right now, but Ye Qingling was not a god after all. Humans were still incapable of breaking God’s taboo, so Ye Qingling could only inch Wu Zhi’s death further away bit by bit.

Wu Zhi pressed his forehead against the glass. The brilliant lights outside the window were reflected in his eyes. Only he knew that on the glass he was looking at, that thin figure was reflected: Ye Qingling sat up straight at the same spot, thin lips pressed into a pale line. Wu Zhi’s heart ached, but he could only be silent. Silence weighted down on the tiny car. As it was too deathly still, the music that came from the far distance was magnified countless of times.

“……close my eyes and feel your mind, time has passed, I walk like a shadow……”[1]

It was a very pretty song. Wu Zhi pressed himself against the glass, straining to listen more carefully.

“……I wish we could stay as one, I wish we could stay forever as one.”

Wu Zhi turned his head back. Ye Qingling softly hummed the final line. Trapped between teenagehood and his youth, his voice sounded so melodious it could intoxicate someone. The awkward silence was broken, and even the air began to turn noisy.

“Wu Zhi, happy birthday.” Ye Qingling gazed at Wu Zhi. That pair of black pearl-like transparent eyes were so pure that nothing else could be seen. “Make a wish.”

“…I’m not a kid anymore. What do you mean, make a wish.” Wu Zhi turned his face away in avoidance of Ye Qingling’s overly serious gaze. “I’ve never even seen you make any wish, and you’re telling me to make one?”

“I won’t make a wish.” Ye Qingling spoke exceedingly softly. “Because my wish has already come true long ago.”

Wu Zhi gritted his teeth hard. Ye Qingling, that’s enough, that’s enough, oi! How much did you want to make someone’s heart ache? How far do you want to push Wu Zhi?

“…I’m done making my wish.”

Ye Qingling’s lips curved up lightly into a smile.

“Do you want to know?” As if provoked by Ye Qingling’s smile, Wu Zhi sharply whipped his head back, glaring at him in provocation. “My wish!”

“No. If you tell your wish, it won’t come true.”

“…Are you coaxing a child!”

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Wu Zhi jumped up and pounced on Ye Qingling. Ye Qingling looked up, towards Wu Zhi who was sitting on him. That serious, greedy gaze made the person above feel awkward, but he still glared back at him stubbornly.

“…If you move, I’ll hump you…”

The mosquito-like voice dissipated like a gust of wind, but Ye Qingling heard it distinctly. He could catch every single change in that person. Ye Qingling knew what Wu Zhi had in mind. The person who understood Wu Zhi the most in the world was him. Because of this knowledge, Ye Qingling was proud. Wu Zhi would always do things that best aligned with his tastes, and gave reactions that best aligned with his wants.

From above, Wu Zhi kissed Ye Qingling, hands unbuttoning Ye Qingling’s white shirt, stirring up Ye Qingling’s excitement — they were far too familiar with each other, and remembered each other’s sensitive spots better than their own. Even if Wu Zhi said nothing, Ye Qingling would not make any superfluous movements and interrupt Wu Zhi’s rare initiation. He liked Wu Zhi taking the initiative. It made him feel that Ye Qingling was needed by Wu Zhi. Just like this moment. Even though he was simply kissed by Wu Zhi, he was so excited and overjoyed that he was close to tears.

Ye Qingling panted, watching Wu Zhi get up to take off his own pants. He couldn’t control the curve of his lips. “Not keeping things in moderation anymore?”

Wu Zhi removed his clothes as he glared at Ye Qingling with a feigned smile, learning from him, “Who was the one who said they wanted to make love here?”

No longer able to hold back anymore, Ye Qingling pulled down Wu Zhi to start kissing him.

Wu Zhi, Wu Zhi, Wu Zhi, how can you be this cute?

When Wu Zhi finally managed to push Ye Qingling away, he heaved heavily, threatening him vilely, “Move again, if you fucking dare… Keep your eyes shut!”

Ye Qingling closed his eyes obediently. In the dark, he felt his pants being removed. His exposed member had yet to even feel the coldness of the air before it was taken into a hot, wet and soft place.

“Ss…”

In the dark, there was a lustful allure to Wu Zhi’s tiny inhales. After his member was completely enveloped, both of them could not help but gasp. Ye Qingling never told Wu Zhi that in truth, he did not require his eyes to look. His sharp five senses could completely replace his eyes now. Just like right now, Ye Qingling very clearly “saw” it. How Wu Zhi took him into his body with tightly-knitted brows while straddling him. That delirium… could practically drive one crazy.

Wu Zhi let himself get used to it, before he began to move in small movements. With those limited movements, rather than being pleasurous, it was more akin to torment, comparable to a kitten scratching and scratching that sensitive spot with its little claws. Even if it was excruciating, Ye Qingling still very obediently remained motionless, and did not “look”. Wu Zhi only moved a couple of times before he was all spent. Having been slaughtered in the morning and after playing for the whole day, his stamina had completely run out. Wu Zhi collapsed on Ye Qingling, panting. He wanted to break into laughter. He really was getting old…

“Wu Zhi, let me move, okay?”

Ye Qingling’s voice had always been cold and apathetic, but now it was tainted faintly by hoarseness. Wu Zhi let out a few wicked laughs, clamping down on Ye Qingling’s tender member and grinding against it. After teasing him a little more, he finally stopped tormenting him, ending it with a wave of his hand.

“Come and wait on your master here. When you’re done, you’ll get your fee… Ah!”

Before he even finished, his waist was grabbed and he was rammed into so hard that his moan changed pitch. Ye Qingling silently expressed how fiercely Wu Zhi had provoked his lust. Since the very moment Wu Zhi’s lips met his, he was already so worked up that he could barely contain himself. Ye Qingling thrusted upwards from below. The cramped enclosure was so hot and tight. He was in his body. He was a part of him. Wu Zhi sat on his thighs, temper knocked out of him, leaving him only capable of emitting tiny moans.

“…We are one…”

“……I wish we could stay as one……” That was the distant singer’s voice. As amorous and raspy as Ye Qingling’s voice.

It had been so long since he felt so satisfied. After a single climax, Ye Qingling did not continue. He only embraced Wu Zhi in that cramped, sealed space, and silently breathed.

“Wu Zhi, I’m very happy.”

Wu Zhi laughed hoarsely. “No shit. That’s your reward for going out of your way just to wait on your master.”

“You noticed.”

“…Mhm. Next time, you don’t have to do this.” This was a real facade. Ye Qingling arranged everything. Wu Zhi was very clear. He liked liveliness, just like how Ye Qingling was fond of the quiet. They were such polar opposites, but yet they could live together so harmoniously.

“Wu Zhi, are you happy?”

“…Mhm.”

“Then, that’s enough.” Ye Qingling breathed in Wu Zhi’s scent. “As long as you’re happy, that’s enough.”

“…Ye Qingling.”

Ye Qingling responded softly. But after this small call, Wu Zhi did not say another word. The capsule regained its silence. Ye Qingling did not speak, and only quietly waited.

“I’m going to curse you.”

Wu Zhi pushed himself up from Ye Qingling’s arms. He shadowed over Ye Qingling, his bright, black eyes looking down on Ye Qingling unblinkingly.

“I’m cursing you on my birthday today! Ye Qingling, I’ll cling onto you, cling to you at every single moment. Don’t even think about getting rid of me. Even if I get a beer tummy, or turn into a rotten old head, don’t even think of getting rid of me… I’m not done yet! Even if I’m not around, you still gotta accept my curse — you will live on. You will live on properly, and then remember me for your whole life. You’ll never ever be able to get rid of me—”

Wu Zhi’s lips curved into a smile. It was that very same mischievous, vigorous smile. Dazzled, Ye Qingling reached to touch it — In the past, he could only remain at the corner, silently trying to get a glimpse of that smile under the sunlight.

“So, Ye Qingling, you will live on. You have to live on.”

Wu Zhi was smiling, but his tears fell. He thought, his birthday wish would forever only be an impossible dream. So, powerless as he was, he could only cowardly curse with a brave front—

“……Ye Qingling, if even you are gone from this world, who else will remember Wu Zhi?”

Translator Note:

[1] The song is Mai Kuraki’s Tonight, I feel close to you.

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