Chapter 26: Ambiguity and Weirdness 2
Coming out of the counseling room, the moment the door closed, Lin Yao finally couldn't hold back and laughed out loud. He turned to look at Ye Heng on the sofa, his eyes still gleaming with laughter:
"Look at you, you scared me."
Ye Heng raised his hand to hide the smile that escaped from his lips, and a tiny light flashed in his dark green eyes: "You are also happy to see it happen!"
But the slightly rising ending tone revealed a bit of indulgence in his heart.
Lin Yao walked to the desk and opened the food box. The star honey cake was shining with a lustrous luster, and the delicate internal structure could be vaguely seen under the snow-white frosting. It was very delicious.
A sweet fragrance wafted out, swirling gently in the air.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the edge of a piece of Star Honey Cake, he suddenly stopped, and the image of the virtual training ground flashed through his mind.
During the break when the two of them were resting as a team, they went to the supply station to buy energy cans. Although there were more efficient military-grade ones, Ye Heng always clicked on the can marked with watermelon flavor on the virtual light screen.
Even the virtual shopping guide reminded him that the energy conversion rate of this product was low, but he just said lightly, "It tastes good."
It turns out that this marshal is actually a hidden sweet tooth.
Lin Yao couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips, picked up a piece of Star Honey Cake with his fingertips, turned around and shook it towards Ye Heng: "Want a piece?"
Shasha poked out from his sleeve and wrapped around Ye Heng, its leaves gently rubbing against his arm, as if helping its master to persuade him.
Ye Heng's eyes fell on the pastry that was shining with sugar, and his Adam's apple moved almost imperceptibly.
He did smell something sweet just now, but because of his status he didn't dare to speak up.
"Don't consume too much sugar." He said the rules, but his body honestly leaned forward, and his dark green eyes clearly showed that he wanted to eat.
Lin Yao was amused by his duplicity. He leaned back and sat lazily on the desk.
The legs hang naturally, the calves are smooth, the knees are slightly bent, and the toes of the feet lightly touch the ground, casting two small shadows on the floor, which sway gently with the movement:
"Just one, for energy. You even picked sweet energy cans in the virtual training ground, and now you're talking about rules?"
As soon as these words came out, Ye Heng felt a heat creeping up his face, as if a little secret he had hidden for a long time had been exposed.
He suddenly stood up, the shoulder line of his black and red uniform stretched straight in the light, and he walked towards Lin Yao with his long legs.
Lin Yao's toes, which were originally tapping the ground, suddenly stopped.
Ye Heng's pace was not fast, and his military boots made light sounds on the floor, each sound like a knock on the nerves.
Only then did Lin Yao truly experience the oppressive feeling that Zhao Feng had described. When Ye Heng walked in front of him, the shadow he cast was like a precisely covered net, enveloping Lin Yao entirely.
The sunlight on the desk was cut into a clear boundary between light and dark, falling just on Lin Yao's bent knees.
Although there was no pressure from the mental force field, the glands on the back of Lin Yao's neck still felt slightly hot, as if an invisible hand was gently brushing against them.
He was unable to figure out why this happened for the time being. He just thought it was the deterrent power that came with being a top-level sentinel. He subconsciously tried to straighten his back, but was unable to do so, resulting in an awkward stalemate.
"You..." Lin Yao was about to speak, but his tongue seemed to be tied.
Only then did he realize how delicate his current posture was. His bent knee was only a fist's distance away from the other person's leg. Even breathing was a little uncomfortable. Only his toes were still stubbornly stuck to the ground, refusing to give up that little bit of freedom.
Ye Heng's fingertips stretched out towards the Star Honey Cake in his hand, and his bony fingers brushed against Lin Yao's fingertips.
It was as if an electric current exploded, and Lin Yao suddenly retracted his hand. The crystal pastry fell "plop" on his thigh, and the frosting merged with the white guide uniform.
The air seemed to freeze at this moment, and even the floating of light dust slowed down by half a beat.
Lin Yao looked down at the star honey cake. The frosting on the white fabric looked like a miniature snowflake. Ye Heng's gaze followed his line of sight down and landed on the same place.
"I'll do it." Ye Heng's voice was low, with an unquestionable certainty, and he was already stretching out his hand.
Lin Yao nodded subconsciously, but when he saw Ye Heng's hand getting closer and closer to his thigh, his nerves suddenly tensed up.
The bony hand, its fingertips still stained with the icing from the Star Honey Cake, was now approaching his clothes, and every inch of its movement seemed to create invisible ripples in the air.
"Wait!" He suddenly spoke, with a hint of panic in his voice that he himself didn't even notice. Shasha shot out from his sleeve and wrapped around Ye Heng's wrist, the leaves stretched like a fully drawn bowstring.
Ye Heng paused in mid-air and looked up at him. There was doubt in his dark green eyes, but deep in that doubt there was a hint of understanding in his smile.
"What's wrong?"
His hand stopped just two fingers away from Lin Yao's thigh. He neither moved closer nor withdrew his hand, as if waiting for an explanation.
Lin Yao's cheeks flushed with heat, and the force that Shasha had wrapped around Ye Heng's wrist unconsciously loosened, but he still didn't let go.
"I can do it myself," he said. He reached out with his other hand to pick up the piece of Star Honey Cake, but before his fingertips touched the icing, he was startled by Ye Heng's sudden forward movement and retracted his hand.
Ye Heng came closer at some point and said, "Let me do it! I've already dyed the frosting." His tone was flat, but his eyes were like hooks, locking onto Lin Yao's eyes.
"Then hurry up!" Under the temptation of those eyes, Lin Yao looked at the cake, then looked at the layer of frosting on Ye Heng's fingers, and finally nodded in agreement.
Ye Heng's hand continued, and as the distance got closer, the overly thick atmosphere made Lin Yao unconsciously tighten his legs. The piece of Star Honey Cake slid slightly on his thigh, and the frosting spread even more.
"Don't move." Ye Heng's voice was a little hoarse, and his fingertips finally touched the cold pastry, but he didn't pick it up immediately, but stayed where he was.
He could clearly feel the tension in Lin Yao's thigh muscles, like a frightened little animal. This subtle reaction caused strange ripples in his heart.
The glands on the back of Lin Yao's neck were burning even more. The vines wrapped around Ye Heng's wrist tightened and loosened. He wanted to push him away, but at the same time, he felt inexplicably reluctant to do so.
"Hurry up and pick it up!" He turned his head away, not daring to look into Ye Heng's eyes so close to him, and his voice was as thin as a mosquito.
Ye Heng laughed softly, and the laughter made Lin Yao's ears numb.
He finally picked up the piece of Star Honey Cake, and when his fingertips left, they deliberately brushed against Lin Yao's clothes, causing a barely perceptible shudder.
"alright."
Lin Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief and retracted his sleeves, leaving only a slight chill on Ye Heng's wrist.
When Ye Heng threw the frosted Star Honey Cake into the trash can, there was a slight "thump" sound.
It was this slight sound that pierced Lin Yao's chaotic thoughts like a fine needle. He blinked suddenly, as if he had just woken up from a brief sleepwalking.
That's not right!
Lin Yao was stunned for two seconds, his eyes first fell on the white shadow in the trash can, and then bounced back to his curled fingertips.
This cake! Didn't it fall out of his hand? So why did he let Ye Heng persuade him at that moment and agree to let Ye Heng continue to pick it up?
This realization hit Lin Yao's brain like an ice spike, and the glands on the back of his neck began to heat up again. This time it was not a faint burning sensation, but a boiling heat with a hint of shame.
He raised his hand and pinched the frosting on his fingertips, looking at the transparent sticky layer shining in the sunlight, his mind felt like a mess.
What on earth happened just now?
He tried to recall the scene just now, but the self in his memory seemed to be bewitched, and all rational thinking failed in that shadow.
"I was..." Lin Yao muttered subconsciously, then suddenly shut his mouth.
He couldn't admit that when Ye Heng said, "Let me do it!", his mind suddenly turned into a mess and even the most basic logic disappeared.
Lin Yao was in self-doubt, his hand unconsciously patting the icing marks on his thigh, his fingertips sliding across the cold fabric, but his mind was full of Ye Heng's eyes when he approached.
He shook his head, trying to drive away the chaotic thoughts, but the glands on the back of his neck were still hot, as if silently reminding him of something.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Ye Heng threw the tissue he used to wipe his fingers into the trash can. When he turned around, he happened to see Lin Yao frowning and thinking hard. A smile flashed in his dark green eyes.
Ye Heng watched as the fabric became a mess, and warned him, "There's more and more icing!"
"Ah?" Lin Yao was interrupted by his thoughts. His panicked fingertips rubbed the icing on the fabric again. "I was thinking... Thank you for just now."
Lin Yao felt awkward saying this thank you. She pursed her lips and her gaze drifted uncontrollably to Ye Heng's hand.
The hands were clean now, with neatly trimmed nails, and there was no sign that they had been so close to her thighs just now.
But it was these hands that could have stepped back and let him handle it himself, but they insisted on getting closer, staring at him with those hooked eyes, and making him nod in agreement in the midst of chaos.
"It's just a piece of cake." Ye Heng's tone remained calm, but Lin Yao always felt that there was a hint of teasing in his eyes.
The sunlight in the office area moved forward another inch, and the light and dark boundary line that had just fallen on the knees climbed up to the thighs, just covering the traces of the frosting spreading.
Lin Yao stared at the whitish piece of fabric and suddenly felt that the star honey cake was like a strange symbol. It was obviously sweet, but it gave him an indescribable taste.
It felt like something was gently tickling the tip of his heart, making him want to frown, but also a little inexplicably flustered.
Lin Yao couldn't figure it out, so he shook his head vigorously to get rid of those messy thoughts, grabbed the water glass on the table and took two big gulps.
The cold water slid down my throat, but it couldn't suppress the heat rising from the bottom of my heart.
Ye Heng was watching his series of small movements calmly, with a faint smile in his dark green eyes.
Of course he knew what Lin Yao was confused about. The obedience driven by instinct and the indulgence that he didn't even realize was the most direct proof of the high degree of compatibility.
However, this proof will only be interesting if Lin Yao reads it slowly and understands it himself.
Ye Heng approached silently again. This time he did not do anything inappropriate. He just lowered his eyes and picked up a piece of star honey cake from the food box.
Those things that he had not dared to do to Mu Mu when he was Su Ye, he now had the courage to test in front of the real person.
When the vest was torn off, it turned out that they could really go one step further.
The sweet fragrance spread on the tip of his tongue, and his eyes fell on Lin Yao's red ears again, as if he was admiring a newly discovered treasure.
The Star Honey Cake in the trash can was already completely cold, but the air in the office area still had a hint of sweetness lingering in it, entwined like an invisible thread, quietly tying the shadows of the two people together.
-
The energy indicator light in the drainage chamber began to flash regularly, and ripples appeared on the light film, indicating that the treatment was over.
Lin Yao was writing down Zhao Feng's monitoring data. Li Xue came over in the middle of the process and saw Ye Heng here. She teased Lin Yao with a strange look on her face and then left.
Therefore, Lin Yao needs to organize and fill in today's data.
Ye Heng's voice suddenly came from behind: "Can I use your diversion area?"
When he turned around, he caught a glimpse of the deep meaning that flashed across Ye Heng's eyes.
"Of course." Although Lin Yao was a little confused, he still stepped aside to make way.
However, the next second, he saw Ye Heng blocking the way. Zhao Feng, who had not yet come out of the diversion area, could not help but stand there in a daze.
"Marshal?" Zhao Feng clenched his fists instantly. Seeing Ye Heng approaching him, he subconsciously straightened his back. "Do you have any orders?"
Ye Heng didn't answer directly, but raised his chin towards the counseling area behind him and said, "Come in for a moment. I have something to ask you."
Zhao Feng was confused, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He just followed Ye Heng into the diversion area.
The sound of a door closing was heard behind him. He looked at the cold light reflected by the star emblem on Ye Heng's shoulder when he turned around, and his heart inexplicably skipped a beat. The marshal had called him back specifically. Could it be that Guide Lin had revealed something about him?
That shouldn't be the case! Not to mention that Guide Lin wasn't the type to gossip. Even if it got out, those were his own embarrassing moments, and the Marshal wouldn't specifically talk to him about them.
"I remember you participated in the campaign to recapture Gamma Star five years ago."
Ye Heng's voice was exceptionally clear in the enclosed space, interrupting Zhao Feng's wandering thoughts. His dark green eyes glowed with a deep light under the illumination of the energy lamp.
Zhao Feng's heart skipped a beat as memories drenched in smoke and blood instantly flooded back. He stood at attention, his tone unconsciously solemn:
"Yes! I was in the Red Shadow Team 3 at the time, serving as an intelligence scout."
"Yeah." Ye Heng nodded, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the buttons of his uniform. In that battle, he personally led his personal guards and the Red Shadow Third Army, starting from the Sphenoid Nebula, jumped three times, rushed two hundred light years, and fought on Gamma Star for five days and five nights.
"Do you remember what happened?"
Facing Ye Heng's question, Zhao Feng blurted out those numbers, which were like a mark etched in his bones:
"The warp coordinates are off by 0.3 light years. During the third spatial shock, seven mechas from the three teams experienced energy overload..."
He suddenly stopped and looked at Ye Heng in confusion, "Marshal, why do you suddenly ask this?"
Ye Heng didn't respond, but instead changed the subject, his dark green eyes filled with seriousness: "Do you still remember the person you met when you first arrived?"
Zhao Feng's mind instantly flashed with Old K's crooked military salute and the hideous scar on the back of his calloused hand.
He nodded. "I remember that. His military salute... was very special."
In fact, it is not standard, just like those who have never participated in recruit training. You can tell at a glance that they are not regular soldiers.
"Have you seen him in the Red Shadow Team 3?" Ye Heng's gaze was deep, falling on a peony on the mural in the counseling room.
Zhao Feng frowned and began to search his memory. Five years ago, the Red Shadow Team 3 had 3,089 soldiers.
As a D-rank scout, he must have his own strengths to be able to stay in a first-class legion like Chiying.
The Snow Leopard's concealment ability and Zhao Feng's own photographic memory were his means of staying in Red Shadow.
Therefore, even after five years, the faces of the 3,089 people we interacted with day and night are still as clear as if we had seen them yesterday.
In his mind, he compared Old K's face with the images in his memory one by one, from the captain to the cook, from the mecha division to the communications soldier... Finally, he shook his head affirmatively:
"No, I recognize everyone from Team 3. He's not from our team."
Ye Heng clenched his fingertips suddenly, his knuckles turning white; as expected, his intuition was right.
Last night at the training ground, Lei Ya accidentally mentioned Lao K, saying that this injured sentry of the Red Shadow Legion was struggling to survive and couldn't even do counseling.
Ye Heng's first reaction at the time was that it was absurd. The Red Shadow Legion's compensation for injured and retired sentinels was second to none among the ten legions of the empire. He would personally review every list, and such a situation would never happen.
But Lei Ya mentioned the Battle of Gamma Star and said that Lao K's mental barrier had tears left by the war.
That was the only time Ye Heng was unable to personally handle the subsequent battle. He was seriously injured and unconscious at the time, and all matters were handed over to Lu Chen. Could it be that there was a mistake on Lu Chen's side?
Today I saw Lao K’s treatment record here at Lin Yao. The cracks in the old barrier did indeed show signs of negative energy erosion unique to the Gamma Star battlefield.
But Zhao Feng's answer completely overturned Lu Chen's oversight.
When Lao K left the diversion area, the look in his eyes...
Ye Heng whispered in his heart, and the scene at that time also appeared in his mind. He was surprised, frightened, and seemed to be afraid of being recognized.
Ye Heng's expression became more solemn, and waves appeared in his dark green eyes.
Old K is not a member of the Red Shadow Team 3, but he has scars from the battle on Gamma Star and has an inexplicable fear of himself, which in itself is full of doubts.
Ye Heng had to think about what was happening behind the scenes. This war that was criticized by the empire was actually a war in which Chi Ying paid for someone else's expenses.
"Marshal?" Zhao Feng was so frightened by his sudden change in aura that he dared not speak. It was not until Ye Heng turned to look at him that he asked cautiously, "Is something wrong?"
Ye Heng took a deep breath and suppressed his surging thoughts: "Nothing, what I asked you today..."
"I understand!" Zhao Feng responded immediately. His scout's alertness made him realize this might involve confidential information. "I returned directly after the consultation and did not meet the Marshal."
Ye Heng nodded, and then the two of them walked out one after the other.
The setting sun in the office area was slanting in through the porthole. Lin Yao was browsing on his laptop again, and Shasha was hanging over his shoulder, watching with him.
Hearing the noise, he looked up with a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "Are you done?"
"Yeah." Ye Heng walked over to him, his eyes falling on the screen of the light computer, which was showing the interstellar news page. "Have you decided where to eat?"
Lin Yao raised an eyebrow. During Zhao Feng's treatment, this man had used his eloquence to get him to agree to have dinner together. Then, before talking to Zhao Feng, he left him with the question of "where to eat". It was really extremely hateful.
So after reading the introductions of a few restaurants, I just put this question aside and started reading Star News. I even asked him to choose the restaurant when I invited him to dinner. It would be so cheap!
Lin Yao touched Shasha's leaves and said, "You're treating us, why do you want me to choose the restaurant?!"
Ye Heng readily apologized, saying that it was his fault for not thinking things through. In that case, he would be in charge of arranging all the procedures going forward!
While the two were talking, Zhao Feng had already said goodbye to Lin Yao and returned to the West District.
The door of the counseling room was closed and the two walked side by side in the corridor.
-
After dinner, Ye Heng sent Lin Yao home.
Sitting in the hovercraft, Lin Yao looked at Ye Heng's still solemn profile, hesitated for a moment and asked, "What happened? You don't look well."
He had wanted to ask this question before, but at that time he guessed that it involved matters within the legion, so he gave up after thinking it over again and again.
I thought Ye Heng would be able to adjust himself, but I didn't expect that heaviness to still be with him.
Ye Heng's gaze fell on the road ahead, and the figure of Lao K and the smoke of the battle five years ago intertwined in his mind.
He shook his head: "It's okay!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
