Bottom line distance
Xu Youling then realized that the interference force he exerted on Pei Zhi's spiritual realm had not lost its original effect.
If this situation happened half a year ago, Xu Youling would probably suspect that Pei Zhi had also been possessed by some time traveler, so he suppressed his overly eccentric, straightforward and even arrogant personality and packaged himself as a seemingly normal sentinel.
Because Pei Zhi just wouldn't do that kind of thing. He wouldn't ask politely in advance, wouldn't make requests, wouldn't say "can I", "is it", or "can I".
He would only ask for it forcefully, suddenly pinching Xu Youling's fingertips, or calmly placing his palm on the back of his neck, allowing the spiritual tentacles to climb in silently.
There is no need to ask Xu Youling's opinion, just do it, Xu Youling will not refuse anyway.
Pei Zhi knew this, so he acted aggressively towards Xu Youling without any scruples.
This kind of aggressive behavior is different from when he conflicts or fights with other sentinels. It is because he knows that the other party's tolerance has not exceeded the limit of joy and has not reached the possibility of sadness, so he boldly entrusts all his thoughts about love to the other party, as if Xu Youling is a Klein bottle that bears love.
Xu Youling's empty heart could not be filled no matter what, so Pei Zhi felt free to use actions instead of words.
But at this moment, Pei Zhi was sitting on the sofa next to the Morning Wind Chime, holding the matching application forcibly issued by the White Pagoda in his hand, but asked Xu Youling, whom he had not seen for a long time, "Are you unwilling?"
Instead of pushing the door open and coming in, he bent down to wake up Xu Youling, whose face was flushed from sleeping, and then put him directly on his lap. He held his hand as persistently as a child and said, "Counsel."
Xu Youling had no doubt that if Pei Zhi remembered everything, he would really do this, rushing from thousands of miles away to a small community store just to ask Xu Youling to comfort him and his spirit body.
Therefore, Pei Zhi's attitude towards Xu Youling now can only be understood as politeness towards a stranger, especially a stranger who was forced to match.
However, such an attitude was rare for Pei Zhi in the past. Xu Youling knew that he had never had a guide to fight with. Judging from the enthusiasm of Bai Ta's sentry to match, this result could only be explained as Pei Zhi's unwillingness.
Few could persuade Pei Zhi to do something he didn't want to do, just as few could stop him from doing something he wanted to do. Therefore, the fact that Pei Zhi sat here today, his expression calm and polite, could only be interpreted as a sign of his willingness.
Willing to come from thousands of miles away to meet this stranger assigned by the matching system, willing to deliberately pretend to "just come to find a spiritual body" to test the other party's reaction, and willing to give the other party time to consider.
This thought made Xu Youling's heartfelt warmth and nostalgia sour, as if it had been left for too long. However, he couldn't just hold Pei Zhi's hand and bravely explore his spiritual realm, asking him if he could now live a happy and joyful life like a normal person.
Xu Youling persuaded himself not to think about this matter anymore. It was an unnecessary speculation that would do no good to either himself or Pei Zhi, who knew nothing about it. So he wrote "to be determined" on this conclusion.
Only one other point is certain.
It is an indisputable fact that Pei Zhi does not remember himself.
"I..." Xu Youling opened his mouth, pursed it hesitantly, and pretended to think reluctantly, "I received the application form yesterday and was thinking about contacting you."
Pei Zhi did not respond and motioned him to continue.
"But seeing that you're an officer in the expeditionary force, I'm a little...unsure how to put it." Xu Youling spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, worried that something he might say would upset the current balance between them. "I'm very satisfied with my current life and don't really want to leave home."
"You don't have to follow me to the camp." Pei Zhi lowered his eyes, then raised them again, "I won't force you."
Xu Youling was silent for a moment, then smiled: "Besides, we don't have any emotional foundation."
"My spirit loves you very much."
"The difference in our ranks is too great."
"You can tell me if you feel uncomfortable."
Xu Youling shut his mouth again, feeling as if he was being forced into a corner. Pei Zhi looked at him with confidence, and the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly.
The next sentence, however, was very sincere: "If you don't have any other reasons and you simply don't want to, I can understand."
It seems that Xu Youling is the one who is ungrateful, while Pei Zhi is just following Bai Ta's instructions as a soldier and understandingly seeking his opinion.
Xu Youling readily agreed: "That's probably it."
"There's no real reason." His voice was a little vague. "It's just... I don't want to get married and settle down yet, that's all."
"good."
Pei Zhi didn't frown. He stood up with his hands on his knees and nodded to Xu Youling.
"The White Tower matching system confirmation time is three weeks, and there are still sixteen days left." Pei Zhi said, "I'm on vacation for two months. If you change your mind during this time, you can contact me at any time."
Xu Youling rarely heard Pei Zhi speak in such a serious tone, because the places where they had met before were too private, and the meaning of the conversation became different.
It’s all about what’s going to happen right now, like counseling, holding hands, exchanging perspectives on mental images.
At this moment, the change in Pei Zhi's wording made Xu Youling more helpless than the change in his temperament. He felt that he could only withstand a Pei Zhi who was temporarily fragile and needed him, rather than the Pei Zhi in front of him who was obviously "cured".
Xu Youling stood up to see him off.
In fact, he would even do this when customers came to the store. It was only a few steps away, and Xu Youling was enthusiastic enough to facilitate such efforts.
But if the gift is given to Pei Zhi, it will be a little different.
Only then did Xu Youling realize that she had already treated Pei Zhi as if every goodbye was the last.
Pei Zhi turned around and stood in front of the door, looking straight at Xu Youling, as if he still gave him the same urgent fascination as before.
"Be careful on the road." Xu Youling raised his hand and touched his face uncomfortably.
Pei Zhi's gaze followed his movements, swam to Xu Youling's slightly curled fingertips, and swam to Xu Youling's red eyes due to lack of sleep.
Xu Youling felt even more uncomfortable, quickly dropped his hands, and took a step back.
However, Pei Zhi did not look away. He continued to stare at Xu Youling's eyes, his eyebrows, and his earlobes.
Then he stared at a point above Xu Youling's shoulder and did not move.
"What's wrong?" Xu Youling's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Something ferocious flashed across Pei Zhi's eyes, almost making him doubt whether Pei Zhi had recognized who he was and knew that he was lying to him. He was sweating and pushed him away carefully.
But the faint fire flickered for a moment and then quickly disappeared.
Xu Youling couldn't help wanting to turn around and see what Pei Zhi had seen, seeking a moment of peace of mind. But Pei Zhi took a step forward, just in time to fill in the gap where Xu Youling had taken a step back.
Then he did something he shouldn't do to a guide whom he had just met for the first time except for the application form: he pressed Xu Youling's shoulder.
Pei Zhi got a little close, but not as close as when he was counseling in the cell. He violated social distance but did not cross the bottom line.
Xu Youling couldn't turn his head away anymore and could only stare blankly at Pei Zhi's chin and lips. But Pei Zhi didn't look at him, but tilted his head slightly and looked into the room.
"I know why Mr. Xu is unwilling." Pei Zhi said calmly.
He was not accusing or blaming, but simply stating a fact: he knew it, and Xu Youling could not change his "knowledge" unless Xu Youling probed his mental tentacles into his mind again.
"What..." Xu Youling asked.
Pei Zhi lowered his head, twisted Xu Youling's collar with his thumb, and his eyes fell on his neck: "So Mr. Xu is not single."
"What?" Xu Youling repeated in a broken voice.
He couldn't digest what Pei Zhi was saying, but he could feel Pei Zhi's hand on his shoulder becoming heavier and heavier, then shifting to his arm, gripping it lightly and heavily.
Just like Duan Xingzhi, who got out of bed cursing upstairs after being glared at by Lu Heng, he could not digest the presence of the tall man in front of Xu Youling. The latter's burning gaze passed over the top of Xu Youling's head and shot straight into Duan Xingzhi's eyes.
Then he lowered his head gently, standing at a distance from Xu Youling, and said something that sounded like a whisper but could be heard by Duan Xingzhi.
"Why doesn't he sleep with you?" Pei Zhi asked in a low voice, "Doesn't he love you?"
Xu Youling couldn't help but feel the special meaning in Pei Zhi's gentle words. He hurriedly broke free from Pei Zhi's hand and turned around. Duan Xingzhi was standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the door in amazement.
It seems that there is something fishy going on here.
"Xu Youling, speak." Pei Zhi stood behind him with a deep voice.
He no longer politely called him "Mr. Xu", but wanted to call him by his full name as before, with a sense of distance and intimacy. Xu Youling said, "I'm a clerk."
"I didn't hear clearly," Pei Zhi said, "Say it again."
"Duan Xingzhi is a newly hired clerk, and he just started not long ago." Xu Youling answered the person behind him, feeling a wave of panic in his heart. "That's not why I rejected him... He has a tour guide lover."
Duan Xingzhi nodded sullenly, feeling very unhappy that a strange and powerful sentry in military uniform appeared at the door so early in the morning.
"Really?" Pei Zhi's voice softened a little, as if he had relaxed.
"Really." Xu Youling answered in a dry voice.
He couldn't see Pei Zhi's face and could only guess his current mood from his tone. Because they had once engaged in a complete exchange of everything for comfort, he became less adept at this kind of guessing.
Just like when he didn't have the ability to counsel Pei Zhi, he could only guess his actions using the subconscious mind of an ordinary person.
I always guess wrong.
Pei Zhi's hand slowly wrapped around his waist and stretched across his lower abdomen, causing the fabric to make a slight friction sound.
His movements were very light, and Xu Youling didn't realize that her body was completely surrounded by him until her back was pressed against him.
Therefore, I realized that Pei Zhi probably had no idea about politeness, and it was all Xu Youling's misunderstanding.
He will learn from the misunderstanding and apply the new set of rules to new people.
Did he already know?
Xu Youling couldn't tell whether his heartbeat at this moment was because Pei Zhi was about to discover his intentions, or because he really missed Pei Zhi, missed him so much that when their skin touched, desire extinguished the flame of reason.
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