The two sat face to face at the dining table, drinking milk and having breakfast. Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t help but remind Si Di about his promise to take Tai Ji out for a walk and let him mark his territory in the morning. So, he deliberately gave Tai Ji a big bowl of goat milk with five or six pieces of dog freeze-dried treats floating on top, a gift from a pet festival promotion on the shopping website.
Tai Ji: “…” Is he kidding me?
Out of the five or six freeze-dried treats, two were snatched by Tian Lu, who was curious about everything. After chewing them for a bit and finding them unappetizing, he spat them out. Then, feeling wronged, Tian Lu snuggled up to Si Di, constantly nudging and rubbing against him, hoping for a pat and some tasty deer biscuits.
Tai Ji gulped down the entire bowl of goat milk with the sparse freeze-dried treats, then, under Xiao Zhenyun’s watchful eye, devoured a whole pack of beef jerky and chicken sausages. After digesting for half an hour, he urgently tugged at Si Di’s pant leg, eager to go outside.
“Shall we go for a walk?” Si Di asked, changing his clothes.
Xiao Zhenyun thought it was a good idea and slowly changed into a tracksuit, leisurely trailing behind.
Just as they were about to leave, they encountered a group of raccoons, habitual beggars, dragging their families to Xiao Zhenyun’s doorstep for some snacks. This time, they were met by a fierce black wolf with bared teeth and a sinister expression, its heterochromatic eyes looking like a reincarnated Yama, the King of Hell. Terrified, the raccoons scattered, unlikely to return for at least half a month.
The day had just begun, and the forest was still filled with the fresh scent of morning dew. Tian Lu, having stuffed himself with deer biscuits, couldn’t resist nibbling on the tender leaves he came across. Tai Ji diligently sniffed the ground, identifying the scents of nearby creatures, and marking his territory with his wild wolf scent.
Xiao Zhenyun walked slowly and carefully, each step steady like an old man taking a stroll in the park. Si Di, with his hands in his jacket pockets, leisurely slowed his pace to match, showing no impatience. He occasionally offered support, ensuring Xiao Zhenyun didn’t stumble over rocks or fallen branches blocking the path.
Before long, the two spiritual bodies ahead had run out of sight.
Tai Ji belonged to the type that disappears in the blink of an eye; one moment he’s lifting his leg against a tree root, the next moment his shadow is nowhere to be seen. Tian Lu, on the other hand, had a knack for disappearing and reappearing, moving in circular routes. Each time he reappeared, he would be chewing on different plants, even nibbling on a brightly colored spotted red mushroom.
“…,” Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di fell silent simultaneously. They exchanged a glance, and Si Di hesitantly asked, “Could this… be poisonous?”
“I don’t know,” Xiao Zhenyun said, “Besides the few common mushrooms found in the market, I don’t recognize any others.”
And until today, he had always thought that knowing those few types of mushrooms was enough.
Si Di reached under Tian Lu’s mouth, and the stag graciously gave the uneaten half to its master.
Xiao Zhenyun activated the terminal’s scanning and identification function, but before the search results appeared, Si Di’s fingertip, which had touched the mushroom cap, was covered in numerous red dots. He calmly threw the mushroom to the ground, “No need to check, it’s poisonous.”
Xiao Zhenyun: “…”
The foolish deer wanted to pick up the remaining half of the mushroom to eat, but Xiao Zhenyun pressed it back into its spiritual domain. Then, with three fingers plus the palm of his hand covered in small blisters, Si Di rushed on horseback and drove for two hours to reach the nearest clinic in town.
Fortunately, it was a minor issue, and Si Di’s recovery ability was strong. The doctor prescribed oral liquid and ointment for him to take back, assuring him that it would be fine once the rash subsided.
“Such a familiar scene,” Xiao Zhenyun sat on a bench outside the clinic, applying ointment to Si Di’s fingers, “Last time it was me getting burned, this time it’s your mushroom allergy.”
“It proves we’re fated,” Si Di looked at his finger wrapped in bandages, flexing it back and forth. Suddenly, he smirked with a hint of mischief, like a big bad wolf coaxing a little deer to open the door, “Little uncle, my right hand is injured… for lunch today, are you willing to let a patient do all the work for you?”
“…,” Xiao Zhenyun raised an eyebrow, “Shall we eat out in town then?”
“But I already took the ribs out of the fridge to thaw this morning. If they’re thawed and then refrozen, the meat texture won’t be the same…”
Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t help but chuckle, “If you want me to cook, just say it straight, no need for beating around the bush.”
“Then are you cooking lunch today?” Si Di leaned affectionately on Xiao Zhenyun’s shoulder, his voice soft and ambiguous.
At noon, Xiao Zhenyun confidently showcased his culinary skills.
There were no kitchen explosions or clogged drains, nor were there any mind-blowing culinary masterpieces. It was just a simple meal: braised ribs with radish soup, stir-fried vegetables, blanched shrimp, and cucumber with preserved egg.
“Quite impressive, huh?” Si Di served the food onto plates. “It’s much better than I imagined.”
Xiao Zhenyun took off his apron and sat down, “Online recipes are very detailed. While achieving perfection might be challenging, cooking it properly is quite easy.”
Si Di tasted each dish first before calling Tai Ji over to give him a piece of rib bone to gnaw on. Tai Ji, who roamed nearly 300 acres of land, now felt like the king of the world, proudly crunching on the rib bones. Si Di fed him two pieces and suddenly remembered, “What about Tian Lu? How is it feeling after eating half of a poisonous mushroom?”
“It’s chasing butterflies in my spiritual domain,” Xiao Zhenyun lifted the soup, gently blowing the chives on the surface.
Si Di nodded, burying himself in half a bowl of rice. Suddenly, he remembered something else, “Are there butterflies in your spiritual domain?”
Xiao Zhenyun looked up and smiled at him, “Nope.”
“…,”
Despite claiming to personally protect his guide and promising to report to the guide’s place every rest day, this particular sentinel’s rest days weren’t once a week but based on a rotating schedule. He could only rest on his scheduled day off, with no fixed timing.
Si Di fulfilled his promise to visit Xiao Zhenyun only twice more before being caught up in endless overtime. The most exaggerated incident was when he had just mounted a horse and was then called back for overtime duty.
Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t help but laugh as he teased him over the video call, “Are you planning to report Xiao Jingfeng to the Labor Bureau? That’s some serious exploitation.”
“I took too much sick leave before, so it’s normal for me to do a bit more now,” Si Di rubbed his tired forehead, “And the Storm Team has just been rebuilt, there are many internal matters to handle, and the division of responsibilities is not completely clear yet. There are also many doubts from the outside, breaking through these doubts will take time and effort from our team…”
He looked pitifully at Xiao Zhenyun, as if trying to convey his apology with his eyes, “In a while, when things stabilize, it will get better. It won’t be as busy as it is now…”
What could Xiao Zhenyun do? He forgave him like an old father would.
But this so-called ‘in a while’ was just a vague concept. Si Di remained busy, from early autumn to deep winter. There were occasional short breaks in between, but he was unable to take long vacations, and their planned hot spring trip at the end of the month was repeatedly postponed.
However, Si Di’s energy was abundant. Even if he only had one day off, he would still come to Xiao Zhenyun’s countryside villa without fail, only to leave on horseback before dawn the next day.
Eventually, for the sake of convenience in meeting up, Xiao Zhenyun simply rented a long-term room near the station. On Si Di’s day off, he would directly head to the town to stay for two days. Although the sentinel still had to drive back and forth, it at least spared him the most arduous part of the journey, riding a horse.
When Xiao Nian learned about this, he proclaimed it to be truly touching reciprocal efforts. At that moment, Xiao Zhenyun was sitting cross-legged on the bed in the small room, holding a capsule and a glass of water, smiling as he asked, “How’s the plot progressing?”
“It’s going well,” work was smooth, and the world administrator’s mood was naturally beautiful, “Everything is following the novel’s plot. If nothing unexpected happens, it should proceed smoothly until the end.”
“…Until the end without any unexpected events?” Xiao Zhenyun took a sip of water with the capsule, but Xiao Nian immediately cut off his words sternly, “Don’t say ‘if nothing unexpected happens’ like that. Take it back, there will be no unexpected events!”
“No unexpected events, no unexpected events…” Xiao Zhenyun coaxed the child, “My biggest unexpected event has already deviated from the plot. What other unexpected events can the novel have?”
“No, I can’t take it… my eyelid is twitching just from talking to you on voice call.” Xiao Nian covered his eyes in pain, “You must be sent by the World Supervision Bureau to torment me.”
His voice was a bit loud, prompting Si Di, who was halfway through his shower, to poke his head out of the bathroom, “What’s wrong, are you two arguing?”
“It’s nothing.” Xiao Zhenyun shook his head with a smile. Hearing this, Si Di immediately frowned and said, “If it’s nothing, why don’t you come in quickly? There’s no reason for me to shower alone.”
“The medicine hasn’t taken effect yet…” Although he refused, Xiao Zhenyun still abruptly ended his call with Xiao Nian without saying anything, getting up and heading towards the bathroom.
“It’ll take effect after a while. Besides, there’s a soft way to handle everything… Hurry up! If you dawdle any longer, the steam will dissipate.” Si Di grabbed Xiao Zhenyun’s wrist and quickly closed the bathroom door with a snap.
As winter passed and spring approached, after a multinational operation, Si Di finally obtained a five-day vacation. After nearly half a year and countless baths, he finally fulfilled his promise to Xiao Zhenyun to go to the hot springs.
Before the trip, he informed Xiao Jingfeng and all the members of the Storm Team not to bother him, then he directly disabled the chip in his terminal.
“Is the captain going to search for his guide again? Every time he has free time, he goes off to find traces of his guide. I’ve never seen him take a real break for even half a day… Ah… I heard it’s been so long since he’s been home…”
“It’s been over half a year now, and still no news… It’s strange that a grown man can just disappear like that, I find it quite extraordinary.”
“As long as he’s not dead, there will always be a chance to meet again in the future. Believe in miracles!”
“Before joining the team, I always thought that Captain Si was so busy every day because he wanted to bury himself in work, so he wouldn’t have to face the fact that his guide was missing every moment, tossing and turning at night. Until I joined the team… I found out that the Storm Team is really that busy, haha… the captain actually looks forward to taking a break every day…”
“Work hard, newcomer.”
Diyang City, Xi Zhang Hot Spring Town.
As soon as Si Di returned to the country, he bid farewell to his colleagues at the airport and immediately boarded the floating train to this place.
This three-day, two-night hot spring trip was fully planned by Xiao Zhenyun. Si Di’s only responsibility was to eat, drink, and have fun.
By one o’clock in the afternoon, Xiao Zhenyun had already arrived at the hot spring hotel. While waiting for Si Di to arrive, he took a leisurely stroll around the area, enjoying the sunshine. He politely declined the advances of three men and women who tried to strike up conversations with him, even though he was wearing a mask throughout his outing.
Around six in the evening, as light rain started to fall from the sky, Xiao Zhenyun lay bored on the hotel bed, eating oranges to fill his stomach. Finally, the message came through that Si Di had arrived at the hotel lobby on the ground floor.
“I’m registering at the lobby, wait for me.”
“I’ll come to pick you up.”
About to send a message saying there was no need to come, Si Di was interrupted by the gentle voice of the front desk attendant, “Mr. Sentinel, the hotel lobby is crowded, and the noise level is relatively high. For your comfort and to respect the privacy of other guests, please wear your sensory suppressor inside the hotel at all times, unless under special circumstances. Is that acceptable?”
“Sure,” Si Di nodded. He accepted the declaration and the brand new sensory suppressor handed to him by the attendant, signed his name, and then wore the suppressor around his neck.
“Thank you for your cooperation,” the front desk attendant smiled and handed over the room key.
With his hearing limited, Si Di didn’t immediately notice the guide’s approach. By the time he realized someone was standing beside him, Xiao Zhenyun had already naturally taken a piece of luggage from his hand.
Si Di subconsciously refused, “You don’t have to…”
Xiao Zhenyun was dressed in a very simple black turtleneck sweater with a light-colored down jacket over it. Because of his tall and slender figure, the jacket, which looked exceptionally warm, didn’t appear bulky on him at all. On the contrary, it made him look even more graceful. His long and straight legs had already taken several steps while Si Di was speaking, walking very naturally and swiftly, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Si Di trailed behind him, his gaze falling on Xiao Zhenyun’s legs. It wasn’t until the guide turned around, the pair of misty blue eyes above the mask looking at him with curiosity, “What’s wrong?… Let’s go, I’m starving.”
Si Di smiled slightly and walked to Xiao Zhenyun’s side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. “Who’s taller, you or me?”
“It’s obviously me.”
“How could that be? Did you include the height of your hair?”
“You’re the one including the height of your shoe soles.”
“Let’s go back and measure with a ruler.”
Xiao Zhenyun patted the raindrops off Si Di’s coat shoulder and suddenly asked, “You ran out to play alone. Didn’t the little dog and the little chick ask anything?”
“Those two?” Si Di chuckled, “They went on a date the day before yesterday. They refused to tell me where they went.”
“What about Xiao Nian?”
“My parents took him out to play… Anyway, no one at home cares whether I’m out for three days to hook up with some wild guy.”
Xiao Zhenyun: “…Isn’t that too blunt?”
“A date… slip of the tongue.” Si Di also patted the non-existent dust off Xiao Zhenyun’s coat shoulder, reiterating, “It really was a slip of the tongue.”
Just fifteen meters away from them, after enjoying a meal, Si Chu and Ye Feiran walked out of the buffet restaurant hand in hand, ready to take the elevator back to their room. Suddenly, Ye Feiran stopped Si Chu with a tug on his hand and instinctively lowered his voice, “Xiao Chu, I think I just saw Brother Di?”
The author has something to say:
The chickens and raccoons near the Yun family are complaining to each other: QAQ!