CH 94

Since Hedgehog managed to single-handedly get the little dog and little chick rolling together, using his unique methods, Xiao Zhenyun decided to let go of the grudge about being drugged.

Despite the intention of enjoying a nice hot spring vacation, Xiao Zhenyun barely soaked in the hot springs a few times and ended up catching a cold on the way back. Sitting in the car on the way home, he was dozing off. However, Si Di was quite satisfied with the trip overall. After all, he wasn’t really there for the hot springs; he had ulterior motives. Sure, they could do it at home, but a change of scenery brings a change of mood. Despite the unexpected events, things turned out well in the end, and he did enjoy the unique experience.

—Except that both of them were now feeling a bit drained.

In the back seat, Hedgehog was excitedly trying on his cat bell, while Si Di’s collar lay on his lap. There were supposedly three colors to choose from, but Si Di wasn’t keen on trying them on for him to see.

“Anyway, you’ll wear it on the day,” Hedgehog scoffed at Si Di’s sudden modesty. “What’s the point of being all shy… I came up with your persona, so is there anything about you I don’t know?”

Si Di’s eyelid twitched. “What persona? Apart from your self-imposed roles of you being the cat and me being the dog, what else is there?”

“Besides being a dog, you have to be a fierce one, rebellious and unruly, not quite tamed yet. You’re new to the circle and can’t fully let your guard down or follow orders,” Hedgehog explained. “Usually, owners wouldn’t show off an untrained dog, but because you’re top-notch, your very ordinary owner is eager to flaunt you.”

Si Di didn’t argue with the term ‘top-notch.’ It wasn’t vanity; any sentinel, even a C-rank one, would be exceptional among ordinary people in terms of physical attributes. His only issue was with the description of Xiao Zhenyun: “…very ordinary?” He pointed to Xiao Zhenyun’s half-leaning face on the seatback, his smoky blue eyes covered by lids, with long, dense eyelashes like the finest black ink meticulously outlining each strand. “Just based on his face alone, he’s anything but ordinary.”

“…Black Wolf, are you a bit of a face-con?” Hedgehog suddenly asked out of the blue. “You’re so tolerant of his quirks, is it largely because of his face?”

“No,” Si Di denied without hesitation. After all, he had disliked Xiao Zhenyun for many years, and it was only after the current Xiao Zhenyun from another world appeared that his attitude changed. The faces of both versions of Xiao Zhenyun were exactly the same.

If we’re talking preferences, he can acknowledge it to some extent. As for Xiao Zhenyun’s superior looks, it could only be considered as an added bonus.

Hedgehog pointed towards Xiao Zhenyun’s sleeping profile. “His face is quite troublesome, too conspicuous. Not suitable for undercover work. Having you, who’s eye-catching enough, is sufficient. If he attracts too much attention, my job becomes difficult. So, I’ll make him look more ordinary.”

Si Di nodded, turning to look at Xiao Zhenyun’s sleeping face, gesturing to Hedgehog to hand over the thin blanket placed in the back seat. With a pretend toothache expression, Hedgehog complied, and Si Di shook out the blanket, gently draping it over Xiao Zhenyun.

As the blanket fell, Xiao Zhenyun opened his eyes half-awake, quickly realizing it was still early in the journey, closing his eyes again, falling back asleep.

“Will that situation occur…?” Si Di glanced back at Hedgehog. “You make his face very ordinary, but on this bland face, there are extraordinary eyes, eyes that belong to a beauty, contrasting with his appearance.”

“…”

Hedgehog looked awkward. “Are you listening to yourself?”

“Is there something wrong with what I said?” Si Di countered, recalling a scene from the original world where a supporting character exposed Ye Feiran’s disguise, claiming to have recognized him from the crowd because of his sparkling eyes.

“…” Hedgehog remained silent for a while, probably concluding: never argue with someone in love. He simply followed Si Di’s lead. “Then I’ll make his eyes smaller, squinty, so no one can see clearly where his eyes are.”

Si Di nodded in agreement.

“As for my cat persona, it’s the kind that’s affectionate and clingy, a flirtatious meow meow, always vying with you for attention but can only leave dejectedly as an old love.” Hedgehog was excited. “When I leave, you create some commotion to attract most people’s attention and cover for my actions, got it?”

“A rather rough plan of action, nothing much to understand.” 

“…Looks like you’ve learned a lesson or two from the dark sentinel.”

Xiao Zhenyun slowly woke up amidst the conversation. A warm, dry hand immediately touched his cheek, and a concerned voice sounded from above, “Did I wake you up?”

“Yeah, a bit,” Xiao Zhenyun coughed twice. He had overexerted himself last night, and his cold had worsened. Annoyingly, he was the only one with a headache, fever, and sore throat, while the other sentinel, whose throat was hoarse from shouting all night, woke up as if nothing had happened.

So, were those ‘I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to be ruined, I’m going to be ravished by Little Uncle’ just for show? Were they just to liven up the moment?

“What’s that noise coming from the trunk? It’s like a ghost wailing.”

Hedgehog glanced back and sighed, “It’s Jefferson. I put him in there before coming this morning… It’s not that I’m afraid he’ll leak information; I plan to let him out after the gathering ends, so I had to bring him along. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him during this time, you guys don’t need to bother.”

A bit miserable, but it served him right.

Xiao Zhenyun didn’t say anything else, just covered himself with the blanket, basking in the sun from the passenger seat.

Before long, a text from Xiao Nian came in: I tossed and turned all night thinking about it, and I’m still a bit worried.

Xiao Nian: Do you think there’s a possibility that Si Chu and Ye Feiran found out that his brother secretly took on a task, likely related to you, and in a moment of impulse, decided to help, barging into the gathering without notice, and then discovered you… Most protagonists in novels have this kind of reckless courage.

There have been too many mishaps, Xiao Nian was starting to come up with new ways for things to go wrong on his own.

Xiao Zhenyun: No, the gathering requires an invitation, and the invitations require a test.

Xiao Nian: Hasn’t Ye Feiran already solved it once? If he’s determined, he may have memorized the website address and thoroughly understood the test questions… He’s also met Jefferson; what if they find Jefferson and get him to take them to the gathering?

Xiao Zhenyun: No, Jefferson is in the trunk.

Xiao Nian: ?

Xiao Zhenyun: And I’ll disguise myself, they won’t recognize me.

Xiao Nian: But what if they identify you by your distinctive eyes? Isn’t there a plot where Ye Feiran undergoes a disguise, completely changing his face, but Si Chu and he lock eyes for a moment and Si Chu recognizes his true identity through his sparkling eyes?

Xiao Zhenyun: …

Xiao Zhenyun: You’re overly nervous.

Xiao Nian: Whose fault is it!

“What’s wrong?” Si Di noticed Xiao Zhenyun’s pained expression. Xiao Zhenyun showed him the chat record with Xiao Nian, and also linked their minds for communication: Xiao Nian is worried that Xiao Chu and Xiao Fei will find out and attend the gathering.

Si Di pondered for a moment: In that case, I’ll send them on a mission abroad for those two days.”

Xiao Zhenyun: I think Xiao Nian will continue to worry. What if the clues from the mission you send them on directly point to the gathering?

Si Di: Then it’s meant to be. This world is destined for destruction.

Xiao Zhenyun relayed Si Di’s words unchanged. Seeing that even the natives of this world were so accepting, Xiao Nian suddenly felt relieved and continued to work on his winter vacation homework with peace of mind.

Two days before the gathering, Xiao Zhenyun received the invitation, along with a golden half-face mask and two bracelets. It was delivered by the young delivery guy, Gena, who had been quiet for a while after Xiao Zhenyun’s lover caught him flirting, but recently, he stubbornly continued to lust after Xiao Zhenyun’s beauty. He even became more audacious, actually wanting to involve Si Di, aiming for a happy threesome.

But it was just a fleeting thought, and Gena didn’t dare to express his fantasies.

Handing over this week’s delivery, Gena heard Xiao Zhenyun cough softly twice and couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Are you sick?… And your lover, is he still busy with work and not accompanying you?… Do you need me to…”

Xiao Zhenyun was about to refuse when a coquettish voice sounded from behind, “No need.”

Hedgehog walked up with cat-like steps, affectionately wrapping his arm around Xiao Zhenyun’s, leaning on him as if boneless. He blinked at Gena and said, “I’ll take care of him here.”

Gena: “…”

“Ah, Xiao~” Hedgehog coquettishly scolded, draping the jacket on Xiao Zhenyun’s shoulder that had been placed on his arm. “It’s so cold outside. You should put on more layers when you come out. If Little Black finds out, he’ll blame me~”

Two days ago, Si Di finished his break and went back to work, managing to return only on Monday night. Before leaving, he asked Hedgehog to take care of Xiao Zhenyun during these few days and specifically warned him to keep an eye on a chestnut-haired, blue-eyed delivery guy who had ill intentions toward Xiao Zhenyun.

But Xiao Zhenyun sincerely felt… this wasn’t what Si Di meant by keeping an eye out.

To better blend into the role, Hedgehog had been acting like a cat-girl since yesterday, which really drove Xiao Zhenyun crazy. Now, seeing Gena equally bewildered, he couldn’t help but smile, his eyes shining bright like the morning sun. “You’ve worked hard.” He signed the receipt and added, “Go back early.” This place is too complicated for you to handle.

Gena nodded in agreement, took the receipt, and left.

After he left, Hedgehog nearly laughed himself to tears and even bragged about it to Si Di the next day.

Sitting on the sofa, Xiao Zhenyun tried on the golden mask symbolizing his dominant identity. In the warm room, he wore only a turtleneck sweater and pants, with the pant legs slightly rolled up due to his sitting position, revealing his fair, bony ankles and insteps, with prosthetics attached to each side, emitting a cold metallic sheen. As he fastened the mask, only a pair of pale lips could be seen, slightly pursed, while his misty blue eyes lifted from behind the mask, exuding a refined yet decadent charm.

Si Di, dusting off his coat, turned around and was stunned in place when he saw Xiao Zhenyun’s dazzling appearance. Even though the guide didn’t have any excessive decorations on him, there was an undeniable, seductive allure about him.

Following his gaze, Hedgehog couldn’t help but lick his lips. “This semi-covered look is even more tempting. Xiao Zhenyun does have a certain charm.”

“Stop looking.” Si Di raised his hand to block Hedgehog’s eyes. “He’s mine.”

“Yours, yours,” Hedgehog grumbled, rolling his eyes, then deliberately shouted, “Xiao Zhenyun, are you sure about the quality of the mask? Last time I encountered a situation where the mask faded in color, and when I took it off, my whole face turned blue like Dou Erdun’s1.”

The ambiguous atmosphere was suddenly shattered. Xiao Zhenyun silently took off the mask and stood up to check if his face had been stained in the mirror.

Si Di and Hedgehog exchanged a few moves, then Si Di went to try on the size of the dog collar.

“Don’t forget to take the fusion suppression pills when the time comes to conceal your special individual identity,” Hedgehog said. “And keep your guide elements hidden too. There might be other special individuals present who could smell your scent.”

Tian Lu, feeling frustrated that the outing plan was ruined, lowered his head angrily, showing off his sharp horns to Hedgehog.

Xiao Zhenyun comforted him, but when he heard movement behind him, and then heard Hedgehog whistling as if something exciting was happening, he turned around to see Si Di stepping out in a specially tailored black tank top that accentuated his physique, with loose pants hanging low on his waist, revealing a hint of his inner coolness. It was the same as always—broad-chested, narrow-waisted, and with a perky bottom. It was unclear who he was trying to seduce.

“Close your eyes,” Xiao Zhenyun whispered to Hedgehog. “He’s mine.”

“You two scoundrels,” Hedgehog chuckled, actually covering his eyes with his hand pretending to be blind.

The most eye-catching thing about Si Di was the black studded collar hanging around his neck, with a gold nameplate dangling from it, swaying with his movements as he walked. There was a long black leather leash attached to the collar, held in Si Di’s hand. He walked step by step, kneeling in front of Xiao Zhenyun’s seat on one knee, the other knee resting on the soft blanket, like a knight pledging his allegiance to his king, handing over the shackles that controlled his life.

“Wait a minute,” Hedgehog interrupted. “What happened to the fierce and untamed wolf? What’s with this loyal dog offering himself up like this? Where’s your wolfishness?”

“… ” Si Di tried to recall, but in the face of Xiao Zhenyun’s smiling eyes, he couldn’t muster any fierceness. If the master didn’t cooperate, it was hard for him to get into character.

Hedgehog suggested, “How about we switch places, and I’ll sit in Xiao Zhenyun’s seat?”

Si Di stood up abruptly, expressing his refusal through action.

Xiao Zhenyun gently kicked his ankle, hinting as he spoke, “Back then, your foot was stepping here… You hated me to the bone, wanting to kill me, but you couldn’t lay a hand on me…”

Si Di lowered his gaze to where Xiao Zhenyun’s finger was pointing. When he lifted his eyes again, his wolf-like, bloodthirsty gaze was locked onto the throat of the person in front of him. Xiao Zhenyun felt the danger and tensed his shoulders, gripping the long leash of Si Di’s collar tightly and pulling it down forcefully. Si Di was pulled so tightly he couldn’t breathe, his hands grabbing onto the collar and struggling, but still stubbornly resisting, refusing to give in even to death.

Hedgehog immediately joined this chaotic family scene, twisting his waist and nestling into Xiao Zhenyun’s arms. “Master, don’t be angry with this silly dog. Show him some love too.”

Si Di’s breathing became erratic, feeling jealous that the cat could openly cuddle with the master, and yet he couldn’t swallow his pride to seek affection. He could only continue to confront the master with resentment.

And then the dog leash broke…

“…,”

“Black Wolf, it’s just acting, no need to get so involved, right?”

“It’s because you bought something with such poor quality.”

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ