Chapter 30: This is the only way. Can I be the only one by your side?
Capital base platform.
"Woo--" the train whistled and entered the station.
Xu Nuo waited for a long time, carrying her suitcase. The door opened and she quickly stepped into the carriage. Her expression was serious and her steps were hurried, but her mind was recalling her recent conversation with Jiang Chen.
"How is that possible? The sentry's spirit form is clearly a cat. I even heard it meowing. It can't be Wei Yan—his spirit form isn't made of plasticine. Can it change its appearance?"
At that time, she swore that she had seen it wrong and firmly denied Jiang Chen's guess. However, after a few days, her memory became a little fuzzy, and she began to doubt whether she had really seen it wrong.
Green eyes and black fur, could it be...
No, this person had occupied his thoughts for days, and he couldn't let his thoughts wander any further. Regardless of whether it was him or not, since he had already decided that this affection was a thing of the past, he shouldn't dwell on it.
Xu Nuo concealed his thoughts, walked all the way to his seat according to the ticket, pushed his suitcase into the gap between the seat and the backrest, and sat down by the window.
Compared to the pitiful little suitcase she had when she first took the bus, she now has a formal suitcase, which was bought specifically for the competition. The advantage is that it can hold more things and safety is guaranteed, but there is also a disadvantage... it is not very convenient to put it on the luggage rack.
The train was about to depart, and the person sitting next to her boarded at the last moment before the doors closed. After hurriedly placing their luggage in the overhead bin, they looked over and said, "Can I help you?"
The voice sounded familiar. Xu Nuo looked up in surprise and asked, "Why are you here?"
The young man glanced at her and said, "Why can't I be here?"
He was dressed casually today, wearing a loose sweatshirt and a baseball cap. His hair, which was pressed under the brim of the cap, was well-groomed and slightly moisturized. He also had a refreshing smell of having just showered. He looked much more approachable than the aloof look he had in the past few days.
Xu Nuo didn't know what to say, he just made an "oh" sound in his nose.
Their current relationship must be somewhat complicated. That night in the White Tower… She had thought that she could just avoid contact with him and pretend it never happened, but today, when she was caught off guard, it reminded her of that "kiss" in the night breeze, which she wasn't sure if it could even be called a "kiss."
Wei Yan didn't wait for an answer and moved her suitcase away. With his tall stature, he easily reached the luggage rack with one hand. After putting her suitcase away, he sat down next to her.
"Wait!" Xu Nuo asked excitedly, "Why are you sitting here?"
The seats opposite the two of them were empty, the seats nearby were also empty, and there were few people in the entire carriage. Why did he choose to sit here?
Wei Yan said nothing, but put the ticket on the table. Xu Nuo came over and carefully compared it with his own ticket.
"Did you see clearly?"
She sighed: "I understand."
It was true that he was sitting next to her, but this was too much of a coincidence.
They happened to be in the same carriage, sitting next to each other and having the same destination. The train would take at least twelve hours to arrive at the station, which meant that she would have to spend a full twelve hours with Wei Yan day and night!
But...but they were in a relationship where they kissed but couldn't take responsibility for each other! And now she had nothing in her hands, not even anything to pretend to be busy and cover up her embarrassment!
Xu Nuo suddenly felt uneasy: "There's no one sitting here, why are we huddled together?"
Wei Yan took back the ticket: "It's written in the train guide that to protect the guide's safety, at least one passenger sentry will be assigned to the guide when the seats are assigned in each carriage. If the guide refuses to comply with this rule, they will not be allowed to board this train."
"Guide, please strictly abide by the train rules and regulations."
Xu Nuo snorted coldly and turned his head away.
Of course she knew the bus instructions, but the reality was not as restrictive as the regulations - the sentries only had to sit around the guide, which was how she sat on her first ride and she was not kicked off the bus.
Damn Wei Yan, he actually brought this up to stop her.
She turned back angrily, wanting to continue arguing, when she saw the young man looking at her sideways, his eyes dim and mixed with an indescribable emotion.
It appeared again, with a look that pretended to be deep, as if she was a heartless man.
Xu Nuo immediately swallowed back any words he wanted to say and didn't bother to pay attention to him.
The young man said, "Do you remember? Your former partner?"
Xu Nuo didn't react for a moment: "What?"
"Your partner... Qi Qian, you waited three years for his reply. Do you still remember what he looked like?"
The conversation touched upon a name that carried both warmth and sadness in his memory, and Xu Nuo's voice suddenly became low: "Why ask him? I don't remember what he looked like when he grew up, but my memories of him as a child are much more vivid."
At that time, Qi Qian was thin and silent, and he followed her silently all day long. Other scavenging children always laughed at him for being a follower, but he did not refute them and just followed her stubbornly.
He didn't like talking to people, and only spoke more when they were alone. To prevent him from growing up astray, she had taken great pains to guide him, giving him small psychology classes, encouraging him to be sunny, gentle, and patient, brainwashing him into thinking, "Boys like this will be liked by more people, and more people will become your friends."
He was reluctant at first and was too stubborn to want only her as his friend. But later, somehow, it seemed that... after she said she liked sunny and cheerful people, he gradually became outgoing.
They accompanied each other from childhood to adolescence. There were obviously many memories left, and they could talk about the specific events for three days and three nights without stopping. However, when Xu Nuo thought about it carefully, she found that the appearance of the teenagers in these events was very vague, and she could not remember any clearer details of their appearance.
It's only been three years, and she can't even remember it. Her memory is really too bad.
But... maybe it doesn't matter anymore.
Wei Yan didn't seem to have any new questions about her words. Instead, he lowered his eyes, as if thinking about something.
Xu Nuo's eyes somehow fell on his slightly pursed lips.
Wei Yan was born with excellent physical qualities, with smooth facial lines, sharp eyebrows and eyes, and a high nose. While his skin wasn't fair and delicate, it was flawless. His lips were thin, revealing a light pink, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised at the right angle, with a faint bead in the middle.
Such lips are warm and dry, but it's a pity that the owner has no technique at all when kissing.
"What's wrong with you? Your face suddenly turns so red." He asked suddenly.
Xu Nuo quickly turned his head to look out the window, fanning himself and saying, "Nothing, just a little hot."
"The air conditioning wasn't on in the car."
"……I know."
“Is the scenery outside nice?”
"good."
"But it's night."
“…”
Xu Nuo was so angry that he turned around and said, "Don't talk to me anymore! Not even a word!"
Wei Yan frowned: "Why?"
Xu Nuo got angry just looking at him and warned him, "I've made it very clear. If you like someone, don't mess with me. If you keep looking for trouble like this, be careful—be careful or I'll beat you up."
It's so annoying. I flirt with her even though I have someone I like. She's hot and cold. She just went crazy a few days ago and now she's starting to make small talk again. It's like she has a split personality!
She spoke angrily, her whole face twisted into a ball, trying to scare him away with this frightening expression.
The young man's gaze swept across her face, finally settling on her rosy lips: "If Wei Yan had someone he liked, would you still like him?"
"Of course not. What's your problem?" Xu Nuo asked strangely, "I don't like you. I just have a good impression of you. It's not to the point where I have to have you. It's okay to talk about it now."
"There are plenty of Sentinels in the world. A-rank Sentinels are rare, but they're not impossible to find. Why should I rely on you? Maybe in this Vulcan Cup I'll be able to find a suitable partner and develop a long-term relationship with you."
She spoke with increasing enthusiasm, her face beaming with joy. "I remember that Sentinels and Guides can become lifelong partners. If I could find a partner with good character and good chemistry, I'd hope to develop a stable, long-term relationship like that. After all, if you're always with someone for a day, a month, or even a year, it's hard to build a trusting relationship, and it can really affect your combat effectiveness."
Wei Yan's eyes grew dim as the girl spoke word by word, but the moment she raised her eyes to meet his, he quickly lowered his head to conceal the emotions that suddenly surged in his eyes.
He suddenly asked softly, "Have you arranged a competition partner? How about... playing together?"
Now it was Xu Nuo's turn to be surprised: "Are you also going to participate in the Vulcan Cup?" No wonder the seat allocation in the carriage was so outrageous.
"Um."
"Why? You're almost graduating, and you don't need—"
"I signed up for it because I like it. It doesn't matter whether I graduate or not."
“…”
Well, she had nothing to say.
Thinking that there was still more than ten hours of driving time, there was no point in arguing with him, so Xu Nuo leaned against the window, looked at the dim stars in the sky, and slowly closed his eyes.
She just wanted to close her eyes and rest, but she fell asleep in the shaking of the train. Just as she was about to fall asleep, the occasional bumps in the carriage made her head hit the window, making her feel half awake and very uncomfortable.
Soon, a layer of soft and warm material was placed on her forehead, blocking the cold and hard touch of the window glass. She finally relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.
At this moment, the young man with his hand on her forehead finally did not need to suppress his gaze. He only needed to lean forward slightly to quietly and uninterruptedly stare at the girl in his arms.
His eyes scanned the girl's face inch by inch, sliding from her forehead to her eyebrows, passing over her small nose and lips, and finally to her slightly pointed chin and a small part of her fair neck.
He reached out and brushed away the loose hair on the girl's cheek. His fingertips gently stroked her earlobe and went around to the back of her neck. He stroked her neck again and again, feeling her body trembling in his palm with her shallow breathing.
His fingertips caressed the soft flesh here, and he felt that she was so frail and delicate at this moment. If she was bent even slightly, she would be as lifeless as a withered flower in the ruins.
"But I won't do that," he said to himself, "even if..."
Even if he didn't want her to participate in the competition, because the look in the eyes of the sentinels in the competition when they saw her would be exactly the same as that of the sentinels in the White Tower.
Even though she never remembered what he looked like, couldn't describe the vague outline of his youth, and even when he sat in front of her, she didn't feel a bit familiar.
Even though she began to selectively forget the name Qi Qian... and the memories of the past five years, she left the old home where they had made a promise, and urgently sought a new life and a new partner.
Even if she wanted to escape—escape from Qi Qian, she would have to take this "Wei Yan" shell with her...
He could probably tolerate her falling in love with this shell, Qi Qian thought. This was a mistake he'd made on his own initiative. Xu Nuo could scold him or hate him, he could bear the consequences, but she shouldn't have mentioned... someone else.
It's the Sentinels... or anyone else who covets her, good or bad.
It made him think of the long years to come when she would laugh and be happy beside someone else. They would hug, kiss, and be together, doing all the intimate things that Qi Qian and Xu Nuo had done or not done before.
Her breath, lips and trembling body, her attachment, pity and all her love... all belong to another person.
He closed his eyes in pain, his heart aching just from this speculation, and he could only take a deep breath.
No, this was the only thing that couldn't happen... He trembled, breathing in and out again and again, just as he had forced himself to do in the past three years as he struggled to death.
At that time, he had only one wish, and the strong unwillingness brought by the wish forced him to crawl out of the bloody hell again and again, and suppress the disgusting restlessness and desire for slaughter again and again.
That was his only wish...
Qi Qian slowly opened his eyes, his gaze dim.
He traced the corners of the girl's eyes and the sides of her lips with his fingertips and let out a long sigh: "Xu Nuo, I miss you so much."
"Xu Nuo, look at me too."
"What should I do, Xu Nuo? Can you be the only one around me?"
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