Chapter 16
Nan Yayin saw Qiao Yan sitting indoors, wearing a beige sweater on the sofa.
He heard the whistling wind and the sound of something being knocked on the window. "What's that sound outside?"
Qiao Yan turned to the window. "It's snowing."
The snowflakes looked like miniature foam balls spinning in a foam machine, or like dust accumulating on the window.
Nan Ya Yin had never seen snow before. Although textbooks always said that snowflakes were the spirits of heaven and earth, Qiao Yan's demonstration was exceptionally brutal.
"Is it cold?" Although it wasn't what he expected, he had never seen it before and was very curious.
Qiao Yan touched the window. "It's cold outside, but there's heating in the room, so I'm not cold."
Nan Ya Yin thought to herself that he hadn't asked her that. "Was it because of the snow that you didn't come back?"
“Yes, otherwise we should already be on the starship and going home soon,” Qiao Yan explained. “Not only can we not go home now, but after the blizzard stops, there will be an endless amount of work piled up.”
Nan Yayin became anxious upon hearing about the blizzard, "Won't you be in danger?"
Qiao Yan somewhat liked this eagerness and comforted him, "It's alright, it snows frequently on the Great Cold Star, and blizzards are common. If there's any real danger, you can go to the underground city. Don't be nervous."
“I know.” Nan Yayin twisted her fingers.
"What's that on your face?" The surveillance video didn't capture that much detail, but up close, you could see white powder on Nan Yayin's face. "Did you put flour on your face again?"
The flour was used to cover the wound on the ground, but it had already healed in the past two weeks and then it was hit again?
"What?" Nan Yayin looked at the camera. "No..."
It was flour that got on his face when he was making the cake. But he wasn't using flour to smear his face; he just couldn't afford face powder.
"I tripped and fell on some flour," Nan Yayin lied, wiping the powder off her face as she spoke. "It's nothing."
Qiao Yan didn't believe him, but no matter how she asked, he wouldn't tell the truth. "Fine," she conceded.
Someone knocked on the door, and Nan Ya Yin heard it. Seeing her turn around, she anxiously asked, "Will you be back in three days?"
Qiao Yan knew that he was not someone who could hide his emotions, otherwise he wouldn't have come in and grabbed her to explain after the argument. She had no doubt that if she had been in the bedroom at the time, Nan Yayin would have grabbed her off the bed.
So seeing him asking so eagerly and looking so anxious, could it be that he's actually looking forward to her coming back? Qiao Yan thought about it. She didn't want to make any empty promises, after all, she had just said she would be home in three days, but who knew it would take another three days?
"Not necessarily, but I'll try my best." That's all Qiao Yan could say. "If you encounter any problems, you can call me anytime. My work here is finished, and I have plenty of free time."
There was another knock on the door.
"I understand, go open the door now." Nan Yayin hung up the phone first.
Looking at the black screen, Qiao Yan sighed and went to answer the door. As soon as she opened the door, she found that the person who came in was Zhou Yi, her psychologist during the expeditionary force.
"What a coincidence," Zhou Yi said with a smile. "I was planning to come find you after I found out you were here. I didn't know your room number, but I found it right away."
"Long time no see." Qiao Yan welcomed her into the house. "I'm here for a lecture. What about you?"
"Traveling," Zhou Yi said. "It's been a long time since I've seen snow, so I thought I'd come here to chase the snowflakes. I didn't expect there to be a blizzard. Fortunately, I ran into an old comrade-in-arms, so it can be considered a blessing in disguise."
"Speaking of which, I've been knocking on your door for a long time, why didn't you come out to answer?" Zhou Yi observed Qiao Yan and noticed that she was acting a little differently.
"I was on the phone, I'll hang up when you get here," Qiao Yan said.
“Omega?” Zhou Yi deduced.
Qiao Yan nodded, "Shu Juan used my pheromones to match with someone before."
"She's still doing that thing. If this continues, she'll be living beyond her means." Zhou Yi had known Shu Juan for longer than Qiao Yan. Although she was only seven years older than Shu Juan, she was practically their elder.
“You’re feeling much better now.” Zhou Yi recalled how bad Qiao Yan’s condition was when she provided psychological counseling; even as a Beta, she could smell the cloying sweetness of cream. “Is it because of him?”
It's undeniable that Nan Yayin put in the effort, but how can an illness be cured so easily? "It's just one of the reasons. When I was working at the school, I saw many children, and I felt like I was moving forward."
Qiao Yan did not retire because of a leg injury; she was retired because of serious psychological problems and her inability to control her pheromones.
“I told you a long time ago that you were not really suited for the battlefield, but because of your excellent physical condition and ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and because you were a monster who was not afraid of death at that time,” Zhou Yi said. “But I’m happy that you can gradually adjust. I always felt that you were too lonely, but you don’t seem to realize that you are always being harsh on yourself.”
Qiao Yan leaned back on the sofa, burying herself in the cushions. Many people had said it wasn't her fault; too many people had died, and it would be too heavy a burden for her to bear the weight of each one.
“You enjoy this feeling of guilt so much that you keep atoning for it.” These were Zhou Yi’s exact words at the time. “You are no longer fit to continue the expedition; you should go back.”
Zhou Yi made the final decision: as long as the psychological issues weren't resolved, she would be discharged. She suspected that Zhou Yi was doing it on purpose, as many people were only 22 years old when they joined the expeditionary force.
Qiao Yan was unwilling to step down at the time, but four years have passed, and she has to admit that she hesitates when faced with the unknown.
"You've stepped down too?" Qiao Yan asked.
“Yes, I’m getting old. You have to understand that we have a lot of choices in this world.” Zhou Yi patted her shoulder. “When I first met you, you had just turned 18. Even now, when I see you, I still think of you as a child. At this age, you don’t need to feel guilty for being too happy.”
After she finished speaking, she smiled and said, "I didn't come here to say these useless things. I know all too well that you won't listen to me." Zhou Yi then adopted a gossipy expression and asked, "Who was you talking to? This hotel isn't as soundproof as you think."
“It’s a kind person who promised to help me get through my vulnerable period.” Qiao Yan smiled, though he would definitely resist the word “kind.”
“That’s really nice. I hope I can see him sometime when I go to Bailu Star.” Zhou Yi finished her greeting. “You want to go back soon, right? This blizzard isn’t going to end anytime soon. On Dahan Star, the blizzard is the master. I was wondering if you would like to come with us through the blizzard. We can get you onto a starship.”
"Huh? Aren't they doing road construction right now?" Qiao Yan asked.
“They can’t fix it. We brought our own car. Do you want to come?” Zhou Yi handed her a pair of sunglasses. “I guarantee you’ll be on your starship home tomorrow.”
Qiao Yan thought to herself that she wasn't here for tourism at all. She took the sunglasses and said, "Of course."
-
After hanging up the phone, Nan Yayin wiped her face with her sleeve. It had been raining for the past two days, and she had been feeling drowsy.
"I hope the weather clears up soon," he said, getting up from the sofa and heading to the kitchen to continue making the cake.
The cake base was baked, and he wanted to add some decorations to the cream. Different brands of cream have different flavors, but none of them could compare to Qiao Yan's pheromones—soft, sweet, yet not cloying.
Nan Yayin sniffed; she must have caught a cold. The temperature had also dropped considerably due to the rain.
First, you need to layer it and then spread cream on top. He finished quickly and added fruit pieces in the middle. Now you just need to put it in the freezer overnight.
Nan Shuyin had been resting or studying in her room, and she was a little worried when she saw her brother walking over with a runny nose.
"Brother, do you have a fever?" Nan Shuyin often had fevers when she was little. She hated being sick the most, because it not only cost money but also made her feel uncomfortable.
"No, I'll have Xiao Lu take care of you today. I'll sleep in the study." After washing up, Nan Ya Yin took a blanket and went to the study.
When I got to the study, I was surprised to find that I felt much better. It was strange; was there some cold medicine in the air or something?
He sat in the large chair, covered with a blanket, ready to sleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, his previously drowsy mind cleared up again.
Unable to sleep, Qiao Yan's pheromones in the study had faded considerably, but if you smelled carefully, you could still detect the scent of cream. This smell didn't suit the study at all, and it would be terrible if the cream accidentally stained the books.
Qiao Yan won't be back for another three days. Three days, what if there are three more days after that? A month, two months... Nan Ya Yin became disheartened.
Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he decided to find something to do. Besides those profound books, Qiao Yan's bookshelf was filled with many interesting books, picture books, or travel guides. She had a habit of taking notes, and there were handwritten notes in the books.
Nan Yayin wasn't interested in picture book travel, so he looked through the notes Qiao Yan had made inside.
There is a picture book called "Take You to the Moon" with a simple and cute style. Nan Yayin could tell that Qiao Yan didn't really want to write on it, so she specially added a piece of paper inside.
"The Moon, in the past, referred to the lunar surface, but such a celestial body no longer exists. There have been celestial bodies that were roughly near the Moon, but they disappeared for some unknown reason. The most common speculation now is that they were destroyed by a planetary impact."
After reading the picture book, Nan Yayin thought that there was no moon on Bailu Star. But was Qiao Yan thinking about such a specific real-world event when she was reading the picture book? This is clearly a story for children about realizing their dreams.
Another travel guide introduces Guyuxing. Qiao Yan's handwriting is neat and square. Next to Guyuxing, she wrote the words "want to go".
It's hilarious. Nan Yayin can almost picture her writing those two characters with such seriousness that anyone nearby would think she's writing something very important.
After laughing, he started to feel dizzy again, and his whole body felt like it was on fire. Sure enough, he had a fever, he thought, but this wasn't the first time, and he should be fine after a good night's sleep.
He closed his eyes, searching in his dreams for something that would make him feel cool, like ice or a calm lake.
He suddenly saw Qiao Yan sitting by the window reading a book, while it was snowing heavily outside.
"What's wrong?" Seeing that he had woken up, she closed her book and walked over to touch his forehead.
Qiao Yan was cold, even though she was warm inside. The hand that touched her cheek was cold, but it was so comfortable that it was hard to resist.
Nan Ya Yin tried to push her away but couldn't. He heard Qiao Yan say, "Sleep a little longer."
Then he felt Qiao Yan kiss his forehead; it was a real touch.
After a moment of stunned silence came surprise. Nan Ya Yin looked up at her and saw a gentle gaze that could melt hearts.
He looked at that face, and for some reason, he felt a sudden urge to reach out and hug her, to kiss her, but then he opened his eyes and returned to reality. He was covered in a sticky substance, not just sweat, and only then did he realize what was happening.
Oh no, oh no, his heat has started. After a brief moment of lucidity, he drifted back into a daze.
Nan Ya Yin dared not move. He closed his legs, wanting to wait for the passion to subside, but it was as if waves of heat were pushing him into the even hotter sun on the horizon.
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