The cafeteria area was spacious and bright, but the atmosphere was not relaxed.
Most of the sentries sat alone in a corner, keeping a wary distance from each other, with only a few accompanied by medical guides, exchanging whispers.
The moment Shu Bai entered, the already oppressive atmosphere dropped even further.
Many sentries instinctively stopped what they were doing, looked at him warily, and then quickly looked away, as if looking at him for even a second longer would set them on fire.
Shu Bai was already used to this treatment. He walked straight to the food area without looking to the side, took a standard portion of high-energy nutritional paste and water, found the most secluded corner to sit down, and turned his back to everyone.
Seeing this, Li Yuheng also took the same thing and followed along, sitting down opposite Shu Bai without any hesitation.
"You're eating this?" Li Yuheng poked at the bowl of mushy stuff with his spoon, frowning in disgust. "This stuff doesn't look appetizing at all. The base's logistics are terrible. I'll cook you something special another day?"
Shu Bai didn't even look up, focusing intently, or rather, pretending to focus, as he ate the tasteless nutritional paste, completely ignoring the person opposite him.
Li Yuheng was not discouraged. While eating slowly, he stared intently at Shu Bai, looking from his thick eyelashes to his straight nose, then to his tightly pursed thin lips and sharp jawline, and finally to the two small moles that moved slightly with each chew.
His gaze was undisguised, filled with pure appreciation and deep interest, falling squarely on Shu Bai's face.
Shu Bai's eating speed slowed down noticeably, and his fingers holding the spoon tightened slightly, causing his knuckles to turn white.
He could feel the two gazes opposite him that seemed to burn him through.
Just when Li Yuheng thought he would remain silent forever, Shu Bai suddenly put down his spoon and looked up.
His dark eyes were unfathomable, carrying a chilling warning: "Have you seen enough?"
"Not enough." Li Yuheng answered quickly, his smile innocent yet self-righteous. "Why shouldn't I look if it's good-looking? It's not like you're someone who's ashamed to be seen."
Shu Bai: "..."
He found that he couldn't communicate properly with the guide at all.
The other person's thought process seems to be completely different from that of ordinary people; they are impervious to reason and persuasion.
He suppressed the inexplicable restlessness in his heart, decided not to waste any more words, picked up his plate, and prepared to leave.
"Hey, don't go." Li Yuheng reached out to stop her, his fingertips almost touching Shu Bai's wrist.
Shu Bai reacted extremely quickly, pulling her hand back as if she had been burned. The water glass on the plate wobbled, splashing out a few drops of water.
His eyes suddenly sharpened, and a very subtle fluctuation appeared in his mental energy field, but he forcibly suppressed it.
Li Yuheng immediately withdrew his hand: "Don't get excited, the inhibition ring has darkened again."
Shu Bai glanced at him coldly, her expression complex and unreadable. In the end, she said nothing, picked up her barely touched plate, and strode away.
Li Yuheng watched his retreating figure, which was almost a hasty retreat, and touched his chin. Instead of being frustrated, he smiled even more meaningfully.
"Such a strong reaction..." he muttered to himself, "Looks like he wasn't completely unaffected."
It's good that there's a reaction; I'm just afraid it's like an ice stone that can't be warmed up.
However... in the end, the main reason is definitely because he, the male lead, is too charming.
…
At 9:00 AM sharp, it was time for the routine psychological counseling session.
Zhao Rui came to fetch Li Yuheng personally, his expression even more tense than yesterday: "Guide Li, Sentinel Shu Bai is already in the No. 3 evacuation room. His morning monitoring data shows that his mental fluctuation value is 5 percentage points higher than the same period yesterday, possibly... possibly because he didn't sleep well last night. You must be careful."
"5 percentage points higher?" Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow. "I understand, don't worry."
When he entered the counseling room, Shu Bai was already standing in the center of the room, just like yesterday.
The snow leopard spirit paced restlessly at his feet. When it saw him enter, it let out a low whimper, whether it was a warning or something else was unclear.
Shu Bai's face was even colder than it had been at breakfast, and his jawline was taut, clearly indicating that he was in a bad mood.
"Good morning, we meet again." Li Yuheng greeted him with a smile, then walked over to the sofa and sat down. "It seems we're quite destined to meet, seeing each other three times in one day."
Shu Bai ignored his trash talk, walked over and sat down opposite him, extended her hand, and said in a stiff voice, "Let's begin."
They acted as if it were just a business transaction and they wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Li Yuheng readily extended his hand and covered his palm.
This time, Shu Bai's palms were not as cold as yesterday; instead, they were slightly damp and warm.
The moment the mental connection was established, that violent mental force surged forth again, more chaotic and sharp than yesterday, filled with impatience and restlessness, like a trapped beast that had been thoroughly enraged.
Li Yuheng's mental landscape trembled slightly, and the stars shifted faster, but he still steadily withstood the impact.
"You've got quite a temper, haven't you?" Li Yuheng even had the leisure to tease, "Who upset you? Tell me, and I'll beat him up for you."
Shu Bai kept his eyes tightly closed, his brows furrowed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He was clearly trying his best to control himself from attacking the other party, but he was still unconsciously resisting the infiltration of Li Yuheng's mental power.
He forced out two words through gritted teeth: "...Shut up."
"Okay, okay, I'll shut up." Li Yuheng complied readily, but his mental strength showed no intention of "shutting up."
His mental strength was no longer the provocative probing that came with equality yesterday, but had become more... clingy.
Like warm, sticky sunlight, or like all-pervasive flowing water, it patiently enveloped and seeped into that blizzard-stricken wasteland.
He no longer tried to forcefully quell the wind and snow, but instead skillfully bypassed the sharpest ice blades, gently brushed across the frozen ground, and even... deliberately provoked the wary phantom of the snow leopard's spirit body.
Shu Bai shuddered, suddenly opened her eyes, stared at Li Yuheng in disbelief, and her breathing became rapid: "You...!"
Just now, he clearly felt a warm and playful spiritual force gently scratch the chin of the snow leopard in his mental image!
The feeling was so real and abrupt that he almost jumped off the sofa!
"What's wrong with me?" Li Yuheng looked completely innocent, blinking his eyes. "I didn't do anything! Is it because your mental image of me is so strong that you're hallucinating?"
Although Shu Bai sensed it, he couldn't definitively accuse the other party of what they had done.
The feeling was too subtle and too fleeting; it was more like his own illusion.
He could only glare fiercely at Li Yuheng before closing his eyes again.
This mental health counseling session continued in this bizarre state of one side trying to "harass" and the other side desperately trying to "control."
The instrument readings fluctuated, and the alarm light nearly turned red several times before stabilizing under Li Yuheng's skillful control.
Zhao Rui watched from outside, his heart pounding with fear, his back soaked with cold sweat.
Time passed second by second.
Fifteen minutes.
Twenty minutes.
It lasted even longer than yesterday!
When Li Yuheng finally ended the counseling session and let go of her hand, Shu Bai almost immediately pulled her hand back, her chest heaving violently as if she had just gone through a tough battle, her forehead hair soaked with sweat.
Li Yuheng also looked a little tired, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, and a satisfied smile played on his lips.
Shu Bai's spiritual power was even stronger and more delicious than he had imagined. Although the process of channeling it was like defusing a bomb, each successful infiltration brought a great sense of accomplishment, especially seeing the other party's irritated yet helpless expression...
"Today's results are good," Li Yuheng summarized with a smile. "Your mental state is much more active than yesterday, which is a good sign."
active?
Shu Bai gritted her teeth, not wanting to talk to him.
Li Yuheng stood up: "Alright, that concludes today's intimate encounter. Sentinel Shu Bai, see you tomorrow at the same time, okay?"
Shu Bai: "..."
Watching Li Yuheng leave humming a song, he felt for the first time a strong urge to beat up his personal guide.
The snow leopard spirit rubbed against his leg, making gurgling sounds in its throat, as if... it wasn't quite done?
Shu Bai lowered his head, looking at his spiritual body with a complicated expression.
He could clearly feel that after that "torture," his nerves, which had been taut to the point of stinging, seemed to have... relaxed a tiny bit.
Although the process was...somewhat uncomfortable, the result...
He rubbed his temples in frustration, refusing to think about it further.
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