Chapter 24 [VIP]

Jiang Zhuochen belatedly stepped back, cautiously probing the distance with his face, completely unaware that there was anything wrong with his actions.

He pressed his face against Xu Xing's cheek, reached out to hold the other side still in place to prevent the other from moving around, and then slowly moved toward the lower half of Xu Xing's face where the fragrance lingered.

Jiang Zhuochen sniffed lightly, then lowered his head in thought. His head was almost resting on the other's shoulder, a complex array of scents flooding his nostrils, carrying a faint, familiar fragrance. His eyelashes fluttered, and he moved closer to the source of the scent, even nudging the other's collar with his nose to probe inside, speaking softly, "The scent of cedar..."

The Master smelled this way, both on his body and in his bedroom. Over the years, it had become ingrained in him, and I hadn't even noticed it before.

"No."

Xu Xing's voice, a octave lower than usual, came through the air, his warm breath brushing against Jiang Zhuochen's hair. Jiang Zhuochen, unaware of the other's odd behavior, turned his head in confusion after Xu Xing finished speaking.

“Where is it not…” Jiang Zhuochen reflexively sniffed again. Ever since he recognized it, other scents had been weakened, leaving only the smell of cedar in his mind. It wasn’t until Xu Xing’s collar brushed against his upper lip that the broken string in his mind was restored.

A faint, almost imperceptible fragrance, carrying a cool sensation, lingered in his nostrils, so faint that it was undetectable unless it was close to his skin. Jiang Zhuochen rubbed his collar, reluctantly moving away.

“What else?” he murmured. “Tuberose? Vetiver? Cardamom?”

"There's also bergamot, grapefruit, and ambergris."

Xu Xing didn't feel anything while standing still, but as soon as he spoke, Jiang Zhuochen's ears went numb, and his heart felt like it was being electrocuted, contracting uncontrollably.

His earlobes burned, and he forcefully covered Xu Xing's mouth. "You're too close!"

Xu Xing was amused by Jiang Zhuochen's accusatory manner. He smirked and let out a laugh that landed on Jiang Zhuochen's lips through his fingers.

Just then, the crisp sound of high heels hitting the floor rang out. Jiang Zhuochen hurriedly stepped aside and cleared his throat.

He followed the smell and took out all the test tubes, facing the direction from which the staff were coming.

"Congratulations on successfully guessing all the complex fragrance notes. You have passed the olfactory test. Now you can take off your blindfolds. I will take you to conduct the taste test."

The taste experience is a bit special. Push open the door to another small room, which leads to a two-person immersive capsule.

The staff handed over a rectangular metal box. "Inside are two white conductive candy pieces that the two of you need to hold under your tongues. When one of you tries the candy in the box, the electrode patches will convert the taste signal into light waves and project them onto a light screen."

After the explanation, the two lay down in the tilted double lounge chairs. As the cabin door slowly closed, the staff member spoke up.

"From now on, just follow the AI's instructions. I hope you both have a pleasant experience."

The hatch closed completely, plunging the interior into complete darkness. The next moment, a semi-transparent light screen floated in front of each of the two people.

Xu Xing was drawn to the commotion beside him. He turned his head and saw Jiang Zhuochen excitedly touching the cabin wall, his eyes reflecting the starlight through the light screen.

An AI female voice came from the air: "Ready? The candy will dissolve on your tongue, releasing a microcurrent. Don't be nervous, it will only translate your taste and project it onto the screen opposite."

Jiang Zhuochen took out the conductive candy and put it in his mouth, looking at his own light screen, which was still a chaotic gray.

Yu Guangli's figure, slowly walking, was now just a blurry outline. His fingertips occasionally tapped the armrest, the soft sound drowning out the frequency of his heartbeat, rippling through the quiet space.

"The experiment begins," the AI ​​said. "Please take out the first pink taste sample from the candy box."

There weren't many candies left in the candy box, and Jiang Zhuochen hesitated, intending to ask Xu Xing for his opinion. As if sensing his hesitation, Xu Xing spoke slowly during the pause.

"It's good that you're here."

Jiang Zhuochen didn't refuse and picked up a piece, throwing it into his mouth.

The candy suddenly exploded in his mouth, and a fine, tingling sour sensation shot up his scalp along his taste buds, causing him to hiss involuntarily.

At the same time, the light screen in front of them burst open with countless jumping blue lights and electricity, like a microcosmic explosion, scattering outwards with a whooshing sound. This scene was even accompanied by the crackling sound of electricity.

Jiang Zhuochen was dazzled by the sights when suddenly a strange tingling sensation ran through his left hand. He thought it was a side effect of the candy and was about to shake his hand to relieve the discomfort when his slight movement was stopped. He looked down and realized that a hand had been placed on his hand.

He turned to face Xu Xing, and was shocked to find that the screen, which should have been reflecting Xu Xing's own sense of taste, was now being frantically devoured by his dark blue sea of ​​light. It was as if some kind of visible electric current had carved out a passage, wantonly invading the other's domain from his light screen.

“Uh…” Jiang Zhuochen suppressed the strange feeling, “I thought I was the only one who could see it.”

Xu Xing pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, the electric current emanating from Jiang Zhuochen's mouth swirling around his tongue like a drug. The more excited the other person became, the more intense the numbness became.

He gripped Jiang Zhuochen's hand with a little force, and the sensation traveled back through their skin. Xu Xing chuckled softly with his eyes closed, "How many candies did you sneak a bite of?"

Jiang Zhuochen's outstretched hand was forced to stop. He saw that the candies were the same color and must be the same flavor, so he ate them all. Xu Xing hadn't even looked; how did he know?

Could it be that the extra few pills he ate were also received by the light screen in front of Xu Xing?

Jiang Zhuochen, unaware of Xu Xing's situation, pressed the still-sweet candy to one side of his cheek. The lingering sweetness made him squint happily, but when it reached his lips, he mumbled, "No, I don't think so..."

"An increase in the mood fluctuation value of receptor one has been detected. Please produce the second green taste sample."

Jiang Zhuochen chewed the candy twice and swallowed it, then ate the second one as instructed by the AI. The bitter, sticky juice instantly enveloped his entire mouth, his brows furrowed, and his stomach churned.

He was no stranger to the taste of Coptis chinensis. When his master first took him in, he spent almost every day and night trying to cure his body. He refused to drink the medicine because he thought it was too bitter, but his fellow disciples, fearing punishment, each held him down and forced him to drink it.

During that time, he was as afraid of his senior brother as he was of bitter herbs, trembling from afar. Fortunately, his master eventually found out, and the punishment that his senior brothers had avoided came down even more severely.

"Waaah..." A suppressed sob almost escaped Jiang Zhuochen's lips as tears blurred his vision, and even the light screen quickly condensed into a thick, suffocating lead gray.

It was absolutely awful!

Just then, a faint, cool pine needle, mixed with the warmth of body heat, suddenly approached. Xu Xing leaned in silently, his fingertip brushing against Jiang Zhuochen's lips.

It was fine if he hadn't noticed it before, but once he knew about the smell, it was magnified in Jiang Zhuochen's mind and wouldn't go away.

The overflowing dark green juice was wiped away, and the uncomfortable and annoyed mood was replaced by the warm touch of skin on the corner of the lips.

"Are you alright?" Xu Xing's concerned tone was very close, with a slightly hoarse quality given by the conductive sugar tablets.

"Oh no!" Jiang Zhuochen's temper flared up a bit. Before the AI ​​could speak, he threw the remaining orange candy into his mouth, trying to get rid of the bitterness.

The long, frequent electric currents subsided and no longer stung. Xu Xing observed Jiang Zhuochen's expression and saw that he had indeed calmed down, but he probably hadn't fully processed his emotions yet, as he quietly lowered his head and sniffed.

The rich, sweet taste of mango spread through Jiang Zhuochen's mouth, and the stimulated dopamine surged in his brain. After a moment of fluctuation, the light screen coalesced into a magnificent, dazzling, and constantly rotating orange-yellow vortex.

He instinctively reached for the candy box, but his fingers touched the back of his other hand. A subtle electric current surged through his forearm, making him think that Xu Xing might want some too, and he slowly withdrew his hand.

Xu Xing placed the last small square wrapped in pale gold candy paper into his palm. "If it's still bitter, finish this one too."

Jiang Zhuochen's gaze shifted to the center of his palm. Whether he was truly numb from the electric shock or not, he became more concerned about the brief touch of the other's fingertips. As if possessed, he unwrapped the candy, pinched it between two fingers, and handed it to Xu Xing.

"Try it? It's really sweet."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, then the soft rustling of fabric broke the darkness. Jiang Zhuochen saw Xu Xing slowly lean down. Soft lips, carrying a hint of hesitation Jiang Zhuochen couldn't quite grasp, gently brushed against his fingertips. The next second, the candy was snatched away with pinpoint accuracy.

The warmth flowed through his body via his taste buds, and Xu Xing's pleasant reaction was captured, causing the two light screens in front of him to explode with golden fireworks in sync.

Jiang Zhuochen snapped out of his daze, thinking that his emotions had been transmitted to the other side again. He sat up straight and focused on watching, categorizing his earlier actions as ordinary playful banter, since his senior brothers also enjoyed taking food from his hands to tease him.

After the fireworks ended, the cabin door opened, and the sudden light made Jiang Zhuochen raise his hand to shield his eyes.

The staff were already waiting nearby. After the two of them came out, they said, "Congratulations on passing the taste test. We apologize, but the remaining hearing and vision tests are currently under maintenance and upgrades. That concludes all the challenges in the five senses lab. We hope you both enjoyed the experience."

Jiang Zhuochen stole a glance at Xu Xing, but couldn't detect much of a change in the other's demeanor. He secretly reflected that he couldn't just focus on having fun by himself from now on.

He thanked him politely and left with a slight bow.

Jiang Zhuochen was exhausted after one round of activities, but after each game, he felt that Xu Xing's expression remained indifferent and unchanged. He let Xu Xing play whatever he wanted, and occasionally, when Xu Xing was 'scared,' he would give him a perfunctory comforting.

He doesn't look like he's calmed down at all.

He was too tired to play anymore, so he sighed silently, ate dinner outside, and went home with his head down.

"You..." Jiang Zhuochen stood in front of the door, hesitant to speak, then shook his head after meeting the questioning gaze of the other person. "It's nothing, go to sleep early."

His dejection was so obvious that Xu Xing wondered if he had gone too far. He softened his expression and said, "You should go to sleep early too."

"good."

Jiang Zhuochen closed the door, finished washing up, and collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Despite his frustration, he hadn't considered giving up. After a good night's sleep, he remembered Zhao Li's second suggestion—to accompany the other person in doing things they enjoyed.

This gave Jiang Zhuochen an even bigger headache. He didn't know Xu Xing at all, so how would he know what the other person liked? Besides, he didn't even know what entertainment existed in this world. Helpless, he took advantage of Xu Xing leaving for work and started searching the house.

After searching for a long time, he finally found a yellowed game controller deep in a drawer in the living room. He took a picture of it for Zhao Li and immediately became excited after learning that it was a game controller.

Game controllers—would someone who doesn't like playing games even own one?

He went to the physical store at the address provided and bought the new one, spending most of the day figuring out how to operate it. He had planned to invite Xu Xing to hang out that evening, but when Xu Xing actually returned, he glanced around at the empty coffee table and realized that something seemed to be missing.

Footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs. Jiang Zhuochen gasped and quickly hid the controller.

Xu Xing only had time to catch a glimpse of Jiang Zhuochen's anxious back before he followed him to the other's room and knocked on the door frame, startling the person inside.

He leaned against the door, quite curious. "What were you doing just now?"

A note from the author: