The temporary dormitory conditions were much worse than those in the rear Third War Zone. Tiny dents from battle could even be seen on the metal walls, and the air was filled with the lingering smell of gunpowder and cleaning agents.
The room was small, with two narrow single beds against the two walls on either side, leaving only enough space for one person to pass through.
Shu Bai pushed open the door first, glanced at the interior furnishings, said nothing, and went straight to a bed at the back, draping his combat jacket at the foot of the bed.
Li Yuheng followed him in, closed the door behind him, and glanced at the two hard single beds. He sighed dramatically, "Sigh, this treatment... What happened to being an S-level key protected individual? They won't even provide a double bed. Thumbs down!"
Shu Bai ignored his complaints and picked up the basic toiletries provided in the corner: "As long as I can sleep, it's fine."
"Sleeping is possible, but how can that foster battlefield camaraderie? How can we engage in deep... uh, spiritual communication?"
Li Yuheng leaned closer, trying to get some toiletries from Shu Bai's hand. "Can you squeeze some out for me, honey?"
Shu Bai flicked her wrist to dodge his claws, then expressionlessly tossed him the toiletries: "Get yourself a new one."
Li Yuheng caught it, pouted, but still quickly began to tidy herself up.
After a quick wash, the two went to their respective beds.
The room lights were off, with only the occasional beam of light from the searchlights of the distant defensive towers outside the window casting brief, moving spots of light on the walls.
The night at the front-line base was far from peaceful; the distant rumble of artillery fire and the hum of energy weapons firing created a never-ending background noise.
The dormitory's soundproofing was clearly poor; even the footsteps of the patrolling soldiers who occasionally passed by in the corridor could be heard clearly.
Shu Bai lay flat on his back, closed his eyes, and tried to force himself to fall asleep, to conserve his energy for tomorrow's battle.
Li Yuheng tossed and turned on another bed, the bed frame making a slight creaking sound.
Just as Shubai's consciousness was gradually fading and she was about to drift off to sleep.
A series of extremely ambiguous, suppressed yet unbearable moans, mixed with the rhythmic, slight thumping of the bed frame against the wall, came through the thin wall with remarkable clarity.
The sound came from next door.
It was clearly a sentinel and guide living next door who were taking advantage of this rare lull in the fighting to engage in some kind of deep physical and mental communication in order to relieve the tension and stress after the battle.
Shu Bai's eyes suddenly opened, a barely perceptible stiffness flashing in the darkness.
Li Yuheng stopped tossing and turning instantly, sat up abruptly in bed, listened intently for two seconds, then lowered his voice, his tone filled with disbelief: "...Holy crap? Who's next door? This noise...is it what I'm thinking?"
The noise from next door didn't stop; instead, it seemed to be getting louder, mixed with muffled whispers that sounded like sobs.
His sparse white brows furrowed tightly. He suddenly turned over, facing away from the direction of the noise, and pulled the thin blanket over his head.
But the sound was everywhere, especially in the quiet of the night and in such a poorly soundproofed environment, it was like a live broadcast right next to my ear.
Li Yuheng tiptoed off the bed, crouched down beside Shu Bai's bed, and gently poked the "silkworm cocoon" wrapped in the quilt with his finger. He whispered, "Hey, Shu Bai sentry, did you hear that? This soundproofing... is ridiculous! It's nowhere near as good as the Third War Zone!"
Shu Bai, lying in the quilt, remained unresponsive, as if she were already asleep.
But Li Yuheng knew he was definitely awake and could hear everything clearly.
His eyes darted around, and a mischievous thought popped into his head again. He leaned closer to the seam of the blanket and continued to tease them in a whisper, "Sigh, you can imagine how engrossed they are... Mmm!"
A pillow flew precisely out of the blanket and hit Li Yuheng in the face, interrupting his rambling.
Li Yuheng hugged the pillow, but instead of being angry, he chuckled softly.
He simply sat down on the floor beside the sparse white bed, hugging his pillow, leaning against the edge of the bed, listening to the sounds from next door, and then looking back at the motionless "silkworm pupa" on the bed.
The commotion next door continued without any sign of stopping.
Li Yuheng sighed, as if talking to himself, yet also as if speaking to Shu Bai: "Sigh... I was thinking of doing something before bed, but now I've just given the neighbors a boost... What a loss..."
Finally, Shu Bai, who was under the covers, couldn't take it anymore and suddenly threw off the covers and sat up: "Li Yuheng, if you can't sleep, go out and run laps!"
Li Yuheng immediately looked up and, with the help of a sliver of light passing through the window, saw sparse, reddish earlobes and a taut jawline.
"Okay, okay, I'll shut up, I'll shut up. Running laps is so boring, I'll just stay here and promise to be as quiet as a chicken."
As he spoke, he indeed fell silent, simply hugging his knees, tilting his head, and staring intently at Shu Bai.
Shu Bai felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and the sounds coming from next door only made him more irritable.
He glared at Li Yuheng, then lay down again, this time facing the wall, completely out of sight and out of mind.
Li Yuheng smiled slightly as he looked at his awkward expression.
He sat quietly for a while, listening to the sounds from next door gradually subsiding, and then looked at Shu Bai's still tense back.
Suddenly, he reached out and touched the back of Shu Bai's hand, which was sticking out of the blanket, with his fingers.
The sparse white fingers suddenly clenched, but did not immediately flinch away.
With his back to Li Yuheng, his voice came through the fabric, carrying suppressed irritation and a hint of barely perceptible tension: "Li Yuheng, didn't you hear me? This wall is as thin as paper."
"I heard you." Li Yuheng's voice was soft, but his fingertips stubbornly remained in place, even twirling his sparse white fingertips. "So?"
"So?" Shu Bai was almost amused by his feigned ignorance. She turned around abruptly and met Li Yuheng's eyes, which were close to hers, in the dim light. "So, put away all those messy thoughts in your head."
Li Yuheng did not back down. Instead, he used his free hand to support himself on the edge of the bed, bringing the two of them even closer together.
His gaze fell on Shu Bai's eyes, which were unusually bright with anger. The usual smile on his lips faded, and his expression became unusually serious.
“I wasn’t thinking about any of that,” he said softly, gently shaking his hand that was twirling his slender, pale fingers. “Really. I just… wanted to touch you.”
Li Yuheng really didn't think any further.
He listened to the lingering sounds from next door, and the restlessness in his heart had long since subsided.
He just suddenly felt that in this front line where the sound of gunfire could break out again at any time, in this dilapidated dormitory where even a little privacy was a luxury, it was good enough to be able to touch Shubai like this, to know that he was there, that he was warm and alive.
He didn't want anyone to hear a single sound that Shu Bai might make, not even the slightest bit.
Those sounds that belong to the private world of the battlefield should be kept completely hidden, and only he should be able to perceive them, whether it be panting, whimpering, or anything else.
But now is clearly not the right time, and the place is even more wrong.
Shu Bai was stunned.
The expected unreasonable demands and pushing their luck did not occur.
"Why?" Shu Bai heard himself ask dryly.
Li Yuheng paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
“I don’t know,” he finally said, his voice even lower, almost a whisper, “maybe it’s just… to make sure you’re here. That you’re alright. Your hands are warm.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com