Chapter 90: “Gabriel even reserved a suite for you.”
Previously, Shen Ti was doubtful about this relationship, questioning both himself and An Wujiu.
He wasn’t sure if he truly understood what liking or love were. In the long first half of his life, all of Shen Ti’s emotions came from imitation, a kind of learning from the outside world, rather than from within.
Only this time, for the first time, he wanted someone from the bottom of his heart.
Shen Ti was very certain.
He had doubted before, thinking that someone like An Wujiu might believe, as he did, that all beings are equal. However, Shen Ti believed that no one was important, like ants and birds, nothing special, whereas An Wujiu believed that everyone should strive to live, that everyone was incredibly important.
So naturally, Shen Ti thought he was within the scope of “everyone,” important to An Wujiu, but not special.
Until that kiss.
He was certain this wasn’t a one-way street.
The rapid heartbeat had already exposed An Wujiu’s answer.
Shen Ti originally thought An Wujiu would continue to stay silent or use his usual rhetoric to dodge the issue.
In any case, he was prepared.
But An Wujiu unexpectedly held his hand in return and said, “I wasn’t being stubborn, I was just thinking…”
This feeling was too unfamiliar to him.
“Actually, I’ve never liked anyone before, I mean in that way.”
He spoke very honestly and sincerely, as if worried that Shen Ti wouldn’t understand.
“But…”
An Wujiu paused, seemingly thinking about how to phrase it, but as he thought, he suddenly chuckled, as if deciding not to struggle anymore, sighed in resignation, and looked up into Shen Ti’s eyes.
“I was just thinking about how to refute you.”
Surprisingly.
Even without getting an answer, ripples of joy had already started in Shen Ti’s heart.
“You’re right,” An Wujiu said with a smile. “I can’t refute you. You are the most special person I’ve ever met.”
He lowered his eyes and said softly, “I don’t want you to leave this world, I don’t want you to be in any danger. Seeing others have feelings for you makes me feel uneasy. I want you to stay by my side.”
“I want to…” He unconsciously tilted his head slightly, “kiss you.”
An Wujiu looked up, his clear eyes reflecting Shen Ti’s face, “This counts as liking, right? If it doesn’t…”
Shen Ti’s lips curled into a smile, “What if it doesn’t count?”
“I…” An Wujiu thought for a moment, with a seriousness that was almost adorable, “Then I’ll try harder.”
Shen Ti couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re so incredibly smart, how can you be so slow in this aspect?”
An Wujiu didn’t say anything, but he was thinking about whether it counted or not.
Shen Ti seemed to completely see through his thoughts, “It barely counts as liking.”
After saying this, he leaned slightly, moving closer to An Wujiu’s ear, “But, you can indeed try a bit harder.”
An Wujiu suddenly wanted to hug him.
He didn’t know why, but he thought of the hug Shen Ti gave him after he lost his arm.
That seemed to be one of his most peaceful and happy moments.
Just as he was thinking this, Shen Ti suddenly opened his arms and hugged An Wujiu in the wind.
Even though An Wujiu hadn’t said anything.
“Your hands are back; you should use them more.” After saying this, Shen Ti pulled An Wujiu’s hands around his own waist and said, “If you want to try harder, take the initiative next time.”
Being hugged, An Wujiu doubted whether his heart was actually in Shen Ti’s body.
Or maybe it was the other way around.
At the altar, he felt like a fragile ant, struggling with an unknown fate, escaping the mire, and throwing himself into Shen Ti’s embrace, only to realize how tired he really was.
He wanted so badly to be an ordinary person without burdens, to find his mother, and to leave here with Shen Ti.
From a distance came Zhong Yirou’s voice.
“Hey! You two lovebirds over there, do you still want a ride?”
And so, the young couple, still in the early stages of their relationship, got interrupted and boarded Yang Erci’s aircraft.
“I should really save some money for a means of transportation,” said Shen Ti as he sat down.
“Didn’t you say last time that you don’t even have a citizen chip?” Zhong Yirou joked, “Then you’d have to buy one on the black market.”
“The black market works too.” Shen Ti turned his head and suddenly remembered what An Wujiu had said earlier. So he asked very inappropriately, “By the way, you said you were jealous earlier, jealous of who…”
Before he could finish, An Wujiu covered his mouth.
In the front seat, Zhong Yirou turned her head curiously, looking shocked, “Jealous?”
“Mr. An gets jealous too?” Nan Shan also found it unbelievable.
An Wujiu felt a bit awkward. “He’s talking nonsense.”
After saying this, he glanced at Shen Ti.
Seeing this, Shen Ti immediately nodded, indicating that he was indeed making things up.
Only then did An Wujiu let go of his hand.
Shen Ti didn’t get the answer he wanted, so he could only sigh and turn his head. He saw Noah sitting in the last row; she seemed preoccupied, silently staring out the window.
An Wujiu also turned to look at her.
“Noah, aren’t your parents here to pick you up?”
Noah shook her head. “I don’t have parents.”
Nan Shan frowned. “But you said last time that you came to find your mother, which is why you entered the Altar.”
That was indeed the case.
But An Wujiu thought, perhaps what she said last time was a lie.
When they first met her, she had the panic and helplessness of a child, but now that was all gone. It seemed she had done it deliberately to lower their guard.
“Last time I lied to you.” Noah stopped looking out the window and said honestly to them, “I don’t have parents. I snuck into the Altar. The game didn’t specify the age of the players, right?”
After saying this, she pointed at Wu You. “This brother doesn’t seem to be an adult either.”
Shen Ti laughed, “Impressive, you spotted another little kid right away.”
Wu You rolled his eyes.
Zhong Yirou still couldn’t understand. “But why did you want to come in? The Altar is so dangerous.”
“I’m an orphan. I was adopted, but the family treated me poorly. My adoptive father often hit me, so I ran away. But if I went back to the orphanage, they would definitely send me back.” Noah lowered her head. “I don’t want to go back. I want to live on my own.”
An Wujiu understood that a child like her, living alone, would face not only the dangers of the world but also a lack of economic resources. She wouldn’t last long.
“I’m only eight years old. No sane person would hire a child. At that time, I saw the recruitment for the Altar’s beta test, so I joined.”
Noah’s description and expression didn’t seem like those of a child, and her performance at the blackjack table further proved that her intelligence far exceeded that of her peers.
“Do you have anywhere to go?” Yang Erci, who had been silently driving, finally spoke up.
Noah looked up at her and shook her head. “No.”
“Stay at my place,” Yang Erci said.
“I was just about to invite Noah to stay with me,” Zhong Yirou turned around and sat properly, playfully complaining, “You’re stealing my words.”
Unexpectedly, Yang Erci said directly, “You can move to my place too.”
The usually gray sky was pierced by the sunset at this moment, and the dust and particles in the sky refracted the glow into beautiful colors. An Wujiu leaned his head against the window, quietly watching them joke and laugh.
Entering the city, Yang Erci, who already knew that An Wujiu and Shen Ti had things to deal with, dropped them off in a designated area and then turned to take Nan Shan home.
The wind raised by the departing aircraft blew An Wujiu’s hair. He waved goodbye to the others.
“Feeling reluctant?”
Shen Ti stood beside him, and at some point, he had put another lollipop in his mouth.
An Wujiu didn’t answer his question, but turned his face seriously and tried to scare him, “If you eat so much candy like this, you’ll get cavities in the future.”
Shen Ti didn’t care. “Then I’ll save more money to replace them with teeth that won’t get cavities.”
An Wujiu couldn’t do anything about him. It was getting late, and the neon lights in the district had already lit up. The place looked just the same as when they had left.
“Going to find Gabriel?” Shen Ti asked.
“Yes.”
The two of them walked through a residential alley, relying on their memories to find the hidden adult club. They couldn’t tell if it was just their imagination, but it felt like the air here was filled with a humid, sweet, and fishy scent of pleasure.
The door was still tightly shut, and the short-haired woman was still applying nail polish at the reception.
This time, however, as soon as An Wujiu approached, she opened the door for them.
“Gabriel instructed that if it was you two, you could go straight up to see him,” Lucy said with a smile. This time, her nail polish was green.
“Thank you,” An Wujiu said softly.
“You’re welcome.” Lucy led the two inside.
The place was as chaotic as ever, even a few degrees warmer than outside. People danced closely together, almost touching each other with every step.
In the crowd, An Wujiu stood out as excessively handsome and overly upright. The cold blue light on his face gave him an ascetic yet alluring beauty.
The crowd grew denser, like molecules colliding in a chemical reaction, making it almost impossible to pass through.
An Wujiu suddenly felt a hand clasp his waist. He looked up and saw it was Shen Ti.
“There are too many people today,” Lucy said with a smile, trying to ease the situation. She finally led them to the elevator. A group of young girls wearing half-masks and revealing bodysuits passed by them.
Seeing An Wujiu staring at the girl at the front, Lucy laughed and said, “This is our newest batch. You seem very interested.”
An Wujiu ignored the last sentence and simply asked, “A batch? A batch of what?”
“Se-x dolls,” Lucy laughed. “They are the best quality, aren’t they beautiful?”
Quality.
An Wujiu felt uncomfortable with that word, even though he understood that this was common in an adult club.
The elevator doors opened, and Lucy smiled as she led them in and pressed the button. “By the way, Gabriel reserved the best two suites for you. He said that if you succeed, you can stay and enjoy a great feast. But I don’t know what he means by succeed or not succeed.”
An Wujiu naturally understood. Lucy then added, “If you liked that girl just now, I can tell Gabriel, and she can stay with you tonight.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Shen Ti said, crossing his arms and leaning his shoulder against the elevator wall, a casual smile on his face.
“He’s mine tonight.”
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