CH 27

This turn of events came unexpectedly. 

Si Huaixi’s mental strength hadn’t even subsided from the game yet when he withdrew, and upon exiting, all his senses returned. The enclosed virtual storage of the game was filled with a strong vanilla scent, like a bundle of vanilla dried in the sunlight, brewing and condensing a rich, captivating cool fragrance with the unique bitterness and sweet aftertaste of vanilla.

The rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other and the suppressed, low groans— each movement seemed to peck at his innermost being.

Si Huaixi’s mental strength enveloped Pei Zhaozhou, and he could even sense the warmth on his flushed cheeks. The weighty breaths, the pain lingering on the edge of his bitten lip, echoed in his ears, while his moist amber-golden eyes narrowed. Concealed beneath the reddened eyes was a trace of vulnerability.

Suddenly, Si Huaixi’s heart tightened with pain. He looked at Pei Zhaozhou with a serious gaze and anxiously asked, “Brother Pei, is your condition relapsing?”

Pei Zhaozhou, whose usually upright back now slightly arched, pressed his trembling, pale hand against the protruding skin on the back of his neck. His eyes were scattered and absent-minded. Beads of sweat dripped down, and his chest heaved intensely, as if a dam had burst, tearing apart his senses with an overwhelming agony that paralyzed his nerves, rendering him unable to speak.

“Where is the medication for pheromone deficiency syndrome? Let me take you out of the game’s virtual storage first!”

Si Huaixi couldn’t wait any longer. He bent down and embraced Pei Zhaozhou in his arms, carrying him out of the virtual storage.

The fresh air outside slightly restored Pei Zhaozhou’s consciousness. With a dizzy head nestled in Si Huaixi’s embrace, he murmured, “What pheromone deficiency syndrome?”

Seeing Pei Zhaozhou regain clarity, Si Huaixi’s complexion remained pale, devoid of color. His eyes brightened for a moment before immediately darkening again. He said, “Brother Pei, you previously told me that you suffer from pheromone deficiency syndrome. Aren’t you feeling unwell now because of that? If you don’t have the medication, stay close to me and absorb more of my pheromones!”

Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes flickered, his dry lips tightly pressed together. Suddenly, he remembered that he had used pheromone deficiency syndrome as an excuse to make Si Huaixi stay by his side…

The anxious heartbeat of the person beside his ear felt particularly warm. Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes curved, and he suppressed the pain as he smiled and said, “I’m fine. I just need to endure a little longer.”

There was no cure for the chaotic pheromone disorder. Each relapse was a long torment, continuously wearing down his body and willpower. He thought there hadn’t been any recent relapses, and even the doctor had seen improvements in his medical reports. He thought a miracle had finally arrived, but it turned out to be nothing more than his wishful thinking.

However…

Pei Zhaozhou curled up his body, gently placing his hand on his abdomen, and thought about the small life growing within his pain-ridden body. His resolute gaze was filled with reluctance and fondness.

At the very least, this miracle had to survive.

Seeing Pei Zhaozhou’s anguished yet resolute posture, Si Huaixi inexplicably began to feel restless and anxious. With a pleading tone, he said, “Brother Pei, how can I help you?”

Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes flickered slightly as he responded, “Haven’t you always wanted to know why I left the Imperial Army?”

Si Huaixi’s gaze became stubborn, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “I don’t want to know anymore, Brother Pei. I’ll accompany you to the hospital. If you lack pheromones, I’ll give them to you. You can extract them however you like. Just listen to me and don’t endure the pain!”

Pei Zhaozhou chuckled lightly but unintentionally twitched his body, causing a wrinkle of pain to appear on his forehead. He said, “I won’t go. Why do you always want me to go to the hospital… Besides, what I’m suffering from is pheromone disorder. It’s an incurable disease. I can only reluctantly survive like this, waiting for the day when the surging pheromones cause my body to collapse. Either I become a madman or I die early.”

Si Huaixi’s pupils contracted, his heart throbbing with a sharp pain. He held Pei Zhaozhou tightly, as if embedding him within himself. His eyes turned red, and the ink-like blue color, tinged with a storm-like darkness, spread.

— So, this is why Brother Pei left the Imperial Army and eventually became the volatile and insane antagonist in the book?

Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes seemed to penetrate Si Huaixi’s soul as he stared at him and asked, “Who are you?”

In an instant, Si Huaixi felt like his biggest secret had been discovered. He murmured, “Who? What do you mean?”

Pei Zhaozhou’s gaze remained calm, occasionally flashing with a hint of pain. His lips turned pale as he said, “Si Huaixi, E-rank Beta. You only completed the mandatory nine-year education for Imperial citizens and never attended university, yet you could fight me, a former S-rank Alpha Imperial Marshal, to a draw… You sneaked into my room at the hotel, and I investigated that the lock was broken by you. But you’re just an ordinary person from a barren planet, yet you managed to deceive me and even overpower me… and did what you did.”

“Are you a spy?”

Si Huaixi felt a bucket of ice-cold water pouring over his heart, and his gaze denied it, “I’m not a spy.”

Pei Zhaozhou laughed indifferently, his cold eyes deeply fixed on him as he said, “Even if you were a spy, it wouldn’t matter. After all, I have the blood of the Federation flowing in my veins. My mother is a Federation citizen. No matter how many merits I have achieved as a marshal for the Empire, no matter how much blood I shed, no matter how deeply I love this country that embodies both glory and crisis… In their eyes, I’m an untrustworthy Federation person.”

“I am a civilian marshal of the Empire, but in the eyes of those high-ranking nobles, they fear and dread me. The rank of marshal is already the limit they can tolerate. Yet, my merits in expanding the Empire’s territory are enough to push me to the top of the Empire’s power structure…”

Pei Zhaozhou’s amber eyes revealed despair as he smiled bitterly, saying, “That’s why I got injured unexpectedly and was relieved of my position as a brigadier general. No matter how much investigation was conducted, I was told it was a malfunction of the rear adjuster in the mech. However, I always perform pre-battle inspections on my own mech. Only this time, the Imperial military’s mech maintenance department confiscated my mech under the pretext of a special inspection. I nearly died inside the mech, and now suffering from the disorder of pheromone imbalance and barely clinging to life.”

“If it weren’t for this illness, maybe I wouldn’t have made it out of the Imperial army alive.”

Si Huaixi’s eyes filled with anger, feeling aggrieved about Pei Zhaozhou’s unfair treatment. He clenched his teeth and comforted him, saying, “No, Brother Pei, you’re a good person. Many Imperial citizens admire you. You’re an extraordinary brigadier general and an unparalleled mech genius. Those who judge people based on their lineage have narrow-minded thoughts… Brother Pei, you will be fine, and your illness will be cured.”

Si Huaixi’s eyes brimmed with sadness as he hugged Pei Zhaozhou tightly. His chest felt like a broken fan, causing him to breathe in painful sobs.

Pei Zhaozhou felt the pain subside slightly and pushed Si Huaixi away, freeing himself from his embrace. With a resolute expression, he stood up and said, “Can you trust me now? Even if you are a spy, as long as you don’t cross my bottom line or harm innocent civilians of the Empire, I can provide you with information about Blue Air Mech Company.”

“You approached me deliberately, just to obtain the secret design of the new type of mech I personally developed.”

Si Huaixi’s eyes suddenly cleared, realizing everything. Pei Zhaozhou had explained so much just to make this ‘spy’ trust him, but he wasn’t a spy at all!

This chaos was difficult to explain. Si Huaixi pondered deeply and reasoned. From Pei Zhaozhou’s perspective, with so many flaws and peculiarities he had shown, he would also think that he was a spy.

Si Huaixi felt complicated and couldn’t find the words to say. He felt like surrendering with raised hands. Helplessly and sincerely, he looked at Pei Zhaozhou and said, “I’m really not a spy. I won’t steal any mech design from you… But there’s one thing I want to ask. If you believed that I was a spy sent by the enemy country, why did you still allow me to get close to you, share a bed with you, and tell me so many of your secrets?”

Pei Zhaozhou tightly pursed his lips, his eyes filled with conflict as he said, “Si Huaixi, are you still unwilling to be honest with me?”

Si Huaixi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes, saying, “What do you want me to be honest about?” I really am not a spy!

“Why did my pheromone disorder improve after sleeping with you that night?”

Si Huaixi furrowed his brow, “Are you referring to a month ago?”

“Yes, as long as you’re willing to do it again, as long as you guarantee that I’ll be fine for these nine months, I can give you everything you need, even if you want all the assets, mech, and stocks of Blue Air Mech Company under my name.”

Si Huaixi’s brow furrowed, and he gritted his teeth, filled with anger as he asked, “Really, anything?”

He could probably guess that it was the psychic power at work, just like how Pei Zhaozhou firmly believed he was a spy, even if Si Huaixi were a spy, Pei Zhaozhou would still approach him, solely to exploit his psychic abilities for healing.

Si Huaixi felt restless and inexplicably choked, almost wanting to applaud Pei Zhaozhou, he was truly too clever!

— I was just being presumptuous.

Pei Zhaozhou’s expression was resolute. “Anything is possible.”

With a dark gaze, Si Huaixi’s nameless anger surged within his chest. He stared intently at Pei Zhaozhou and said, “Wouldn’t that be too much of a sacrifice for President Pei?”

Pei Zhaozhou clenched his lips in patience. “If you’re willing, I can sign a contract for the transfer of assets. All the assets accumulated under my name can be yours.”

Si Huaixi asked, “Was the pheromone deficiency syndrome also a lie?”

Pei Zhaozhou furrowed his brows tightly and nodded in admission.

Si Huaixi lifted his head, gazing at the ceiling as if it could alleviate his anger.

“Come here.”

Pei Zhaozhou looked up in confusion. “?”

Si Huaixi gritted his teeth. “Weren’t you here to treat you?”

His finger caressed the small protruding skin on the back of his neck, and the sensitivity immediately sent a tremor through his body. Pei Zhaozhou tightly shut his eyes, his eyelashes quivering slightly, his ears turning crimson hot.

The psychic power forcefully marked his fragile glands, and the unexpected soul resonance left him bewildered and infatuated, as if experiencing the scent of an Alpha in heat. Finally, he understood why he had lost control and succumbed that night…

Afterward.

Pei Zhaozhou fell into a contented sleep, exhausted. Because of his repeated insistence, they hadn’t gone all the way. Si Huaixi, on the other hand, hid his eyes and took several cold showers in the bathroom.

In the middle of the night, the chill still lingered on Si Huaixi’s body, his cold and damp hair scattered. He sat by the bedside, gazing at the peacefully sleeping Pei Zhaozhou, his hands itching as they reached out to touch that stern face.

He pinched it gently.

The softest skin on the cheeks turned red, and Si Huaixi mischievously pinched the other side, making it symmetrical.

After the joke, Si Huaixi sat quietly for half the night, calmly examining the sleeping figure, his gaze filled with various thoughts, his hair completely dry from countless contemplation. Finally, he sighed helplessly.

“If I were a spy, Pei Zhaozhou, you would’ve committed treason in the end…”

…………

‘Interstellar Heartthrob’ – Final Chapter

The antagonist, Pei Zhaozhou, attacked ***, was accused of treason, and died in an explosion during his escape. In the end, the main character and the protagonist, along with their supporters, finally achieved happiness without any further obstacles.

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