Chapter 96

s.h.i.+ Jin couldnt help but worry.

If only it would take longer for things to develop in the underworld, Lian Jun would have more time for treatment, he sighed, dispirited.

If the strife really did unfold in six months time, as Lian Jun had predicted, then Lian Jun would definitely choose to receive the quicker treatment so that he would have a healthy body to deal with the following major conflicts. However, both how long it would take to be completely cured, and the side effects of the detoxification, were unknown. If it dragged on for several months, wouldnt it still overlap with the conflict?

Moreover, even after he was rid of the poison, Lian Juns body would have to be carefully nursed to regain strength; he might even need rehabilitation. If Lian Jun chose the quicker treatment, the recuperation period would almost certainly overlap with the conflict breaking out. Treating this poison would affect Lian Juns health for the rest of his lifeif even a single part wasnt done right, it was likely he would be left with hidden dangers in his body.

Do you have any way to help me persuade Lian Jun to wait until everything is over before getting treatment? His body will definitely be much stronger by then, which would make the treatment safer, he asked Xiao Si as he pondered, frowning so tight that his eyebrows were almost joined over the bridge of his nose.

Xiao Si said with hesitation, < But JinJin, Uncle Long said that the longer the toxin stays in the body, the more difficult it is to completely get rid of it, and the more serious the backlash will be once the treatment begins. This fight between Annihilation and the other organizations is very likely to become a long-term war of attrition. Its already been a long time since Darling was poisoned >

So the treatment couldnt be delayed indefinitelythe later it happened, the worse it would be for the body.

s.h.i.+ Jin thought of the current state of Lian Juns body, which was becoming stronger and stronger since hed begun to exercise. He recalled when he first met Lian Jun, when the other mans physical condition was so bad that hed suffer a lot if he even ate a few more bites of food than usual. Scrubbing through his hair in agitation, he fell onto the sofa.

The quick treatment carried risks, but so did the slow treatment, so what was the best choice? Should they strike a balance between the two, going not too fast, but not too slow either?

< JinJin, go and ask Darling, > Xiao Si suggested in a low voice. < Even if just for your sake, Darling will certainly do his best to recover. Talk to himhe should be able to find a way to balance the treatment with the conflict. >

s.h.i.+ Jin remembered Lian Juns promise to survive and stay with him. Heartened, he sat up and said, Youre right, theres no point in me going in circles by myself. Ill go and talk to him.

Lian Jun was in his study on a video call with Gua Two, who was remaining in the hospital pretending to be a patient. He hung up when he saw s.h.i.+ Jin come in, then eyed the teenagers birds nest of a head and smiled. Why is your hair in such a mess?

I kept scratching my head, s.h.i.+ Jin replied honestly. He sat down opposite Lian Jun, put on a serious expression, and said, I have a question for you. You have to answer it truthfully and without trying to deceive me.

Lian Juns heart jolted; for a second, he thought that his date plan had been exposed. He turned the tablet hed used to speak to Gua Two over so the screen was facing down, carefully observing s.h.i.+ Jins expression. Okay, go on.

Seeing him so cooperative, s.h.i.+ Jin felt a little more at ease. Looking into his eyes, he asked, Uncle Long said there are two options for treatment: one conservative and the other quick. I thought about it for a while. Youll probably decide on the fastest one, but

He quickly explained his entanglement, without noticing that as he spoke, Lian Juns hands slowly loosened their grip on the tablet, and his posture gradually relaxed.

So which option are you going to choose? s.h.i.+ Jin ended his speech with a question, and looked straight at him with an expression that said, If you lie or pick the wrong one, expect a fight.

Lian Jun met his gaze. I choose the conservative option, he replied, voice gentle.

I knew you were going to pick the quick Huh? What did you say? Halfway through the sentence, s.h.i.+ Jin realized that the answer wasnt quite what hed expected, and blinked at Lian Jun a little foolishly.

Lian Jun smiled at his expression. He rolled the wheelchair out from behind the desk and took s.h.i.+ Jins hand, squeezing it. I said I choose the conservative treatment. Since I want to stay with you forever, how can I not keep my body in the best possible condition? When it comes to treatment, Ill listen to Uncle Long. You can rest a.s.sured that I wont treat my body like a jokeIm not the only one it belongs to anymore, now theres you as well. As for the overlap between the treatment times and the conflict, I will discuss it with Uncle Long again. You dont need to worry.

Hes, hes being so sensible?

Stunned, s.h.i.+ Jin rubbed his ears in disbelief.

He and Uncle Long knew better than anyone how much of an uncooperative patient Lian Jun was. And now, this person whod basically had to have his arm twisted before hed take his medicine and eat healthy, said hed defer to Uncle Long about treatment?

All of a sudden, he felt like he could understand the grat.i.tude and relief of a parent whose troublesome child had finally grown up into a responsible adult.

So moving!

Baby s.h.i.+ Jin reached out to embrace Lian Jun, looking like he was going to hug his son.

Come on a trip with me this weekend, Lian Jun said, grabbing his hands in time to avoid the hug.

Huh? A trip?

s.h.i.+ Jin stopped and asked, confused, Did something happen?

Aunt Lu has helped me a lot this time. Id like to invite her to dinner to thank her, and also formally introduce you to each other, Lian Jun explained.

Oh, so it was to thank Aunt Lu. s.h.i.+ Jin nodded in understanding, then recalled the current situation between the two organizations and frowned. But is it really okay for us to meet up with her? Everyones eyes will be on Annihilation and Tarantula right nowwont it be dangerous?

No, Aunt Lu will disguise herself as a man, and well cover our tracks. Besides, B city isnt like other citiesunderworld organizations dare not act at will here. Its not difficult to elude them.

s.h.i.+ Jins worries were laid to rest. All right, Ill go with you.

If youre seeing this notice, youre reading this chapter on pirate site the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.

The weekend came in the blink of an eye. s.h.i.+ Jin woke up early and was pleasantly surprised to find that Lian Juns progress bar had dropped by another point, to 497!

This time it only took three or four days for the bar to dropmuch faster than before. Is this proof that Lian Juns physical condition has reached the average and is steadily improving? s.h.i.+ Jin asked with expectation, staring at the progress bar. He was so elated he almost started bouncing on the bed.

Xiao Si, who was also so happy it wanted to scream, replied, < Definitely! Darlings body is getting better with every day! >

Neither of them noticed that Lian Jun didnt get up early to work in the study as usual, but was still in the room.

What are you happy about? he asked as he came from the direction of the wardrobe, pus.h.i.+ng their usual suitcases forward.

s.h.i.+ Jins grin froze on his face. Shocked silly, he looked at his boyfriend. How come youre still here? And whats up with the suitcases?

There was a change of planAunt Lu asked us to meet her at a resort in the suburbs. Its one of Tarantulas businesses, and safer overall. We have to stagger our arrival times, so were going to stay there overnight and wait for Aunt Lu to arrive, Lian Jun explained. He let go of the suitcases and rolled over to the bed to pinch s.h.i.+ Jins cheek. You havent answered me yetwhy were you so happy just now? You found a bag of money in your dream?

s.h.i.+ Jins heart skipped a beat. Since sweet talk was always the best fallback, he replied solemnly, A bag of money? As if that would make me so happy. I found a treasure in my dream, a certain Darling. As he spoke, he glanced at Lian Jun in a very obvious hint.

Xiao Si let out a strange chuckle.

Shamed into anger, s.h.i.+ Jin shut the system in the small black room for a few seconds. Ignoring the aggrieved howl that followed, he jumped out of bed, saying, Ill do it, I pack faster. You go eat breakfastfor your body to get better, eating regularly is the most important thing.

Looking at his exuberance, Lian Jun smiled and reached out to touch his lovers back, obediently surrendering the task of packing their luggage to him.

After their usual morning exercise, a short rest, and lunch, they set off for the resort.

s.h.i.+ Jin was obsessive about Lian Juns rest schedule; he made Gua One, who accompanied them out, take a longer, more s.p.a.cious car so that Lian Jun could take a nap during the drive. After more than two hours, the car arrived at a suburban retreat halfway up a mountain and smoothly rolled to a stop.

Jun-shao! Gua Two, who hadnt made an appearance for a long time, waited for them at the door.

s.h.i.+ Jin was delighted to see him at first, and then asked in confusion, Why is Gua Two here?

He complained that staying in the hospital was too boring, so I asked him to come over and check the security arrangements, Lian Jun answered.

s.h.i.+ Jin nodded in understanding, then poked his head out of the window and shouted, Little Number Two, were the hospital meals delicious?

Gua Two rolled his eyes and scolded with a smile, I see youve forgotten who exactly I had to eat those hospital meals for, you ungrateful b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Ungrateful to the end, s.h.i.+ Jin pretended not to hear his words. He got out of the car and stretched, breathing in the fresh mountain air, then turned to Lian Jun who was still in the back seat. Its nice and cool here, much cooler than in the city. We wont have to stay in an air-conditioned room all day, he said happily.

Seeing that he liked it here, Lian Jun was very satisfied. Then well go for a stroll later. Lets go in first.

The group walked inside and headed deeper into the complex. The resort shouldve been cleared in advance, as the only people theyd seen along the road were staff members, with not a shadow of any other guests. The greenery was abundant and natural-looking, and the resort buildings were all built in a faux-ancient style; it looked elegant and tasteful.

It was the first time in either of his two lifetimes that s.h.i.+ Jin had visited such a resort, and he found everything interesting. What a nice place! It seems so comfortable here, he couldnt help but exclaim.

With such a poor vocabulary, Im really suspicious about how you got so many points in the college entrance exam, Gua Two shook his head, pretending to be disgusted.

s.h.i.+ Jin threw him a glare. Yeah? Then by all means, give me an example of what I should have said.

Gua Two frowned in contemplation, then enunciated clearly, Its really good here!

wasnt that just as bad?

s.h.i.+ Jin jeered at him without mercy.

They horsed around like that while they walked. About ten minutes later, they pa.s.sed through an

and arrived at the residence that was prepared for Lian Jun.

It was a small two-story building, right by the lake, with a garden out back; it was quiet and pleasing to the eye. s.h.i.+ Jin pushed Lian Jun into the courtyard, glancing around with a feeling of novelty, then turned and ran back to the lake to look into the water.

Lian Jun followed him. What are you looking at? he asked, stopping his wheelchair next to him.

The fish. The designer of this resort is really interestingthe lake isnt stocked with nice-looking

koi but practical edible fish instead. Its a pretty original idea, the teenager replied.

The concept of this resort is returning to nature, so theres not too much fancy stuff, Lian Jun said, apparently quite familiar with this place. Do you want to fish? You can catch any of the fish here. Also,

wild ducks will occasionally come here to play.

There are wild ducks? s.h.i.+ Jins eyes brightened. He felt that Lu Shan had a really good eye for places. The fish here are so fatjust wait, Ill catch a big one and make you some fish soup, he said, rubbing his hands eagerly.

Lian Jun smiled. Then I will ask the staff to bring fis.h.i.+ng gear.

Gua One and Gua Two leaned against the wooden fence in front of the building, their faces relaxed as they watched the two by the lake.

Jun-shao picked a good place after allas expected, I guess. I thought s.h.i.+ Jin wouldnt like it very much, but it turns out I was wrong. Gua Two shook his head. He turned to look at Gua One and asked, When are Gua Three and the others coming?

They should be about to arrive. Theyre staying on the other side of the mountain, Gua One answered. Seeing Lian Jun looking back, he got up and said, Im going to guard Jun-shao and s.h.i.+ Jin. You can take a breakyouve been working quite hard to set up everything here.

Gua Two waved his hand, dismissing Gua Ones words. What kind of hard work was that? Things like this are fun. You need to unwind like this so that youll have enough energy to work hard later.

Fis.h.i.+ng, feeding wild ducks, pulling up lotus leaves, taking out a boat and pretending to be boating on a big lakes.h.i.+ Jin had a great time. He even taught Lian Jun how to

from shoots of

green foxtail and blades of gra.s.s.

Then put this end in here again and ta-da, a gra.s.shopper! s.h.i.+ Jin presented a cute green gra.s.shopper on his palm. He glanced at the mysterious shape in Lian Juns hand and, suppressing a smile, handed his own gra.s.shopper to him. Lets tradehere, Ill give you mine, you give me yours.

Lian Jun eyed him, then complied with the exchange. After admiring the gra.s.shopper properly, he asked, How did you learn how to do this?

Of course, as a country kid as every kid does, I learned it from other children. s.h.i.+ Jin almost had a slip of the tongue, but stopped in time and made up a random excuse to muddle through. Glancing at the fish in a bucket at his feet, he changed the subject: Lets go kill the fishits getting late, its almost time for dinner.

Lian Jun followed his gaze and nodded, not delving further into the previous topic.

The dinner was prepared per the list of forbidden foods Uncle Long had given them. s.h.i.+ Jin personally made

crucian carp and tofu soup. It was a nutritious dish made with relatively mild ingredients, so it was put on the table next to Lian Jun.

Try my craft. s.h.i.+ Jin ladled a few spoonfuls of milky white fish soup into the bowl, added the most tender collar fillet and several pieces of tofu, and handed it to Lian Jun, saying, Eat while its hot, it will smell fishy when it cools.

Under his expectant gaze, Lian Jun took a sip of the soup, then ate a piece of fish and tasted the tofu.

How is it? s.h.i.+ Jin couldnt resist leaning closer in antic.i.p.ation.

Lian Jun glanced at him, and deftly picked up a piece of fish and stuffed it in his mouth before replying, Its delicious.

The fish was very tender and melted in the mouth, stimulating s.h.i.+ Jins taste buds in an instant. He swallowed the fish and said with satisfaction, It really is good, the fish here were raised well.

Do you like it here? Lian Jun asked.

s.h.i.+ Jin nodded. Yes, he said as he began to serve Lian Jun more food. The environment here is good, its a great place for you to recuperate. Why dont you ask Aunt Lu if we can come stay here whenever were free?

When he heard this, Lian Juns heart both ached and felt warm. Helpless, he reached out and touched s.h.i.+ Jins hair. In the end, all of his lovers considerations were for him; he didnt think about himself at all.

s.h.i.+ Jin, thinking that he was acquiescing, happily rubbed his head into Lian Juns hand and urged him to drink more soup. He also drank a bowl himself.

After dinner, they took a walk around the resort. When the sky began to grow dark, they returned to their residence and went out to the open-air bath behind the building.

The water in the pool is from the mountain spring. Its warm in winter and cool in summer. Theres also a temperature control device under the bottom so we can stay in the pool as long as we want, Lian Jun explained, then asked, Would you like some wine? Fruit wine, the kind with low alcohol content.

Although it was an invitation from a beauty, s.h.i.+ Jin bravely resisted the temptation. No, you cant drink!

Lian Jun smiled and said, I wont drink, but you can. But you shouldnt drink too much or youll have a headache in the morning.

Hearing this, s.h.i.+ Jin was relieved and immediately changed his previous reply, asking Lian Jun to order a small bottle of wine.

The bath was open-air, and the lights around it were deliberately a little dim and ambiguous. s.h.i.+ Jin leaned against the wall of the pool watching Lian Jun pour him the wine, and felt a little drunk before hed even taken a sip.

How could there be such a beautiful person in the world He supported his cheek on his hand, narrowing his eyes in appreciation.

What are you dazing off about? Lian Jun, who had approached without him realizing, asked as he poked s.h.i.+ Jins cheek. He pa.s.sed him a cup of wine. Here. I ordered plum wine, see if you like it.

The cup was jade-green and made of porcelain, not very big; held in Lian Juns fingertips, it had a kind of fragile, pure beauty. Instead of taking the cup, s.h.i.+ Jin bowed his head and took a sip from Lian Juns hand. After tasting it carefully, he said, It tastes like juice.

Sure enough, this person couldnt be expected to say anything poetic.

Lian Jun smiled and leaned over to kiss him, murmuring, Let me taste it too.

The moonlight gently reflected off the rippling water. Surrounded by the scent of Lian Jun and the aroma of plum wine, s.h.i.+ Jin, despite not being drunk, was in a drunken-like daze. Watching Lian Juns eyelids fall as his lover concentrated on the kiss, his heartbeat was suddenly out of control and his brain seemed to overheat. Lian Jun, I love you, he whispered.

Lian Juns eyes snapped open and his burning gaze drilled into s.h.i.+ Jin. Dropping the cup, he grabbed the younger man and pressed him against the wall of the pool, deepening the kiss.

Plop.

The cup fell into the water, sinking to the bottom.

s.h.i.+ Jin closed his eyes and shut Xiao Si, who was screaming inside his head, into the small black room, then reached out to hug Lian Jun.

The moon was really beautiful tonight.

That night, they almost went all the way. s.h.i.+ Jin discovered for the first time that Lian Jun actually has a strong and fierce side in bedhe was a healthy person but even so, he was still unable to completely resist Lian Juns actions.

Hed been about to throw away his sense of shame and go up on his own, but at the last moment, Lian Jun actually stopped and pulled him into his arms. No, he said, kissing his cheek and gently stroking his back. I havent prepared anything today, youll get hurt.

s.h.i.+ Jins mind was already confused by desire. Frowning, he protested, If I wasnt worried about your body, Id have urged you to do it long ago. Do it, Im fine.

Lian Jun chuckled, bit his earlobe, and said into his ear, Did you forget that youre going to report to the police academy in a few days? During the physical, the doctor will check this place. He patted the younger mans b.u.t.t.

s.h.i.+ Jin froze as he remembered the academys physical examination in his previous life, and finally recovered some of his reason. You d.a.m.n pr*ck-tease! he growled, biting him angrily.

Who was the real tease here?

Lian Jun let out a helpless sigh and stroked his lovers thigh, soothing him with a kiss.

Although they went to sleep late that night, they got up at their usual time the next day.

Rational to the point of being obstinate, s.h.i.+ Jin said, You cant skip even one day of exercise. Im going to call Uncle Long and ask what youre supposed to be doing today.

Lian Jun hurriedly reached out to pull him back. Ive already askedsince were on a mountain, Uncle Long said that my morning exercise can be replaced by hiking.

Hiking? s.h.i.+ Jin was taken aback but didnt doubt his words. He pondered the height of the mountain and said, Okay, then lets go after breakfast.

After breakfast, Lian Jun changed into light sportswear, left his wheelchair behind for the first time, and left the villa with s.h.i.+ Jin. They followed the garden path at the back of the building and walked out of the resort through the side door.

Filled with anxiety, s.h.i.+ Jin hovered around Lian Jun like a mother hen, for fear that hed stumble and fall down or that his legs would start hurting too much.

Its okay, Im used to this much walking. I also took my medicine earlier and Im wearing protective gear. I really will be fine, Lian Jun appeased him. He did look relaxed, not at all like someone enduring pain. He took s.h.i.+ Jins hand and led him towards the trail going up the mountain. Lets take it slow for now. Well treat it like a walk to help digestion.

A little dazed, s.h.i.+ Jin followed him pa.s.sively for a few steps before snapping out of it. He glanced at the hand holding his, and Lian Jun smoothly walking in front of him like an ordinary, healthy person, and felt a sudden quiver pa.s.s through his heartstrings.

It seemed like, for the first time, he and Lian Jun were walking outside holding hands like an ordinary couple. Not in the training room nor in their bedroom.

It was great.

He looked at Lian Juns legs stepping forward in a natural way and wanted to smile, but for some reason, his heart felt a little sore.

Walking like this, Lian Jun looked really good. The pictures of him struggling to take a few awkward steps while holding on to the railing, looking like he could fall down at any moment, abruptly faded away from s.h.i.+ Jins mind. Lian Jun should always be as he appeared now, healthy and free

Why are you so quiet? Lian Jun stopped without warning and looked back at him.

s.h.i.+ Jin scrutinized his face. After confirming there was no trace of suppressed pain in his expression, he turned his head and let out a shallow breath, then turned back and met his lovers gaze. Its nothing, I just suddenly felt that youve become even more handsome, he said with a smile, squeezing his hand.

Lian Jun noticed his emotional changes and his heart instantly filled with distress for him. He stepped forward to gently pull the younger man into his arms and kissed his forehead. He hugged him in silence for a while, then stepped back and tugged his hand again, indicating that they should start moving again.

No words were necessary.

s.h.i.+ Jin smiled and stepped forward to walk side by side with him, fully contentit seemed he should eagerly await the end of all their problems, when he would always be able to walk with Lian Jun like this

From a bit further up, you can see most of B city. Actually, it wouldve been better to come here in the evening That will have to wait till next time. Next time we come here, my body will already be healthy, and Ill take you to watch the view of the city at night, Lian Jun said out of nowhere.

Stunned, s.h.i.+ Jin looked sideways at his handsome profile. His heart swelling with happiness, he nodded vigorously, replying, Good, next time lets see the night view. Even better, lets camp here on the mountain and watch the sunrise as well!

In the resort, Gua Two leaned on the bal.u.s.trade of the lakes walkway and looked up at the top of the mountain. How long do you think Jun-shaos painkillers will last? he asked Gua One.

Gua One, who was holding a few blades of gra.s.s in his hand and frowning as he tried to weave a gra.s.shopper, said, I dont know. Check the directions on the package or ask Uncle Long.

Gua Two made a face, then his gaze fell on the green tangle in Gua Ones hands and he sneered, Youre a man who had no childhood.

And you did? Gua One asked back.

Gua Two choked, then let out a disdainful snort. He looked around, went to pull out a few blades of gra.s.s, and joined Gua Ones clumsy attempts to weave gra.s.shoppers.

Fis.h.i.+ng, feeding wild ducks, pulling up lotus leaves no idea. From what I googled, lotus leaves are used as an edible food wrap and you can make tea from them thats supposedly good for summer heat.

The moon was really beautiful tonight Con says most people know this one but for those that dont: The moon is really beautiful tonight -> implicit meaning, The moon I see with you is the most beautiful = indirect love confession. (

)

Lets camp here on the mountain and watch the sunrise as well! its a thing. Example:

.