Thank you so much, nilvy2003reserve/Fun~Osh, for the ko-fi!!! :blobaww:

The space in the lab pod was ultimately quite small, and with various reagents scattered messily across the table, it was not an ideal place to continue.

So, after some back and forth, they eventually returned to the villa. Zhu Ming was particularly concerned about the value of the gemstone crown and entered the bedroom first, carefully placing it on an absolutely secure cabinet.

Just as he let out a breath of relief and turned around, Xi Xianging’s kiss descended upon him like a tidal wave.

They had indeed held back for too long—Xi Xianging gripped Zhu Ming’s hair with one hand, kissing him fervently, while the other hand unhesitatingly worked to unbutton Zhu Ming’s shirt. Zhu Ming responded with a muffled laugh, his own hands restlessly trailing downward until they finally settled over Xi Xianqing’s zipper.

Though they had made thorough preparations and taken precautions, they were both novices, so the beginning was inevitably somewhat clumsy and tentative.

The green peac0ck spread its dazzling tail feathers, trembling at a rapid frequency, every movement cautious and gentle. Yet, the white fox still instinctively shrank back from the pain, the tip of its tail trembling slightly. As if mindful of the peac0ck’s emotions and dignity, it endured the discomfort and nuzzled the peac0ck’s slender, magnificent feathers with its nose in an affectionate gesture.

The peac0ck tilted its head and neck slightly upward in pleasure, its feathers quivering with increasing delight.

The white fox had mentally prepared itself long ago, but it still hadn’t expected that a young, healthy male green peac0ck would be so exceptionally developed—not only physically impressive but also naturally refined and elegant. The peac0ck’s unhurried nature made every step gentle and slow.

However, this didn’t make it any easier for the white fox; it only left him insatiable, tormented by an unquenchable longing.

So, during the intermission, Zhu Ming, his cheeks flushed red and his eyes glistening with moisture, braced a hand against Xi Xianging’s chest, panting as he tactfully suggested, “Mr. Xiao Xi, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but you don’t have to be this considerate of my feelings. We can indulge… a little.”

Xi Xianging propped himself up on his arms beside him, condescendingly gazing down at Zhu Ming’s face. His sweat-dampened hair clung to his prominent nose bridge, and he remained silent.

“You said it yourself.” After a long pause, he responded in a low voice.

At first, Zhu Ming didn’t understand what he meant

Of course, he soon understood.

—The white fox, who had only just regained control over his legs, had no concept of the stamina of a peac0ck in its prime, let alone the consequences of recklessly suggesting they “indulge a little.”

At first, he could barely keep up, holding his own. But as things progressed, the exhausted white fox no longer even had the strength to tremble his tail to beg for mercy. Gasping for breath, he struggled to escape, but after barely taking two steps, he was unceremoniously dragged back into the territory by the green peac0ck, who was experiencing indulgence for the first time.

Zhu Ming could no longer bear it. He tried to inch silently toward the edge of the bed, his voice trembling slightly at the end, “Enough, enough, we don’t have to be this indulgent. I think moderation is important sometimes…”

Before he could finish, his hand suddenly clenched the edge of the bed. His eyes widened in disbelief, and the rest of his words were swallowed by a deep, lingering kiss.

The green peac0ck remained calm and silent the entire time, completely focused. At first, the white fox still whimpered delicately once or twice, but by the end, he didn’t even have the strength to make a sound.

Zhu Ming wanted to cry without tears. Burying his face into the pillow, Zhu Ming interlocked his fingers with the sweat-dampened hand of the young man behind him. He had a sinking feeling that if this went on any longer, he’d be back in a wheelchair tomorrow. With what little breath he had left, he weakly called Xi Xianqing’s name, “…Xi Xianqing, Xi Xianqing, listen to me first!”

Xi Xianqing paused slightly, panting as he leaned in close to Zhu Ming’s ear.

Zhu Ming tilted his face up, pressing a soft, affectionate kiss to his Adam’s apple before whispering in his ear, “…I love you.”

Xi Xianqing’s body abruptly stiffened. Zhu Ming immediately sensed a change, his breath hitching as a faint gasp escaped his throat. Only after a long moment did his body finally relax, his breathing gradually evening out.

Goal achieved. After a while, Zhu Ming lifted a hand to hook around the young man’s neck, his beautiful eyes glistening as they curved into a teasing smile—

“It seems like you love hearing that sentence just now, huh? Then from now on… I’ll say it to you more often?”

“…Mm.”

“Alright, go take a shower first. Tomorrow afternoon, I have an appointment with Qian Duo and Liu Kuan at K University to research… Wait, you’re not serious, are you? Xi Xianqing? Just how much stamina do you—ugh—”

“It’s the last time, relax.”

…

Naturally, the meeting scheduled for the next afternoon never happened—it was postponed to the day after.

Even with two days to recover, Zhu Ming hadn’t ended up back in a wheelchair, but he still had to call Zhou Zhou over to serve as his human crutch.

In the end, with his left hand gripping the foolish roe deer and his right hand supporting himself against the wall, Zhu Ming barely managed to walk into the research institute building at K University.

Zhou Zhou simply assumed that Zhu Ming’s legs hadn’t fully recovered and didn’t think much of it.

However, since they were standing close together, Zhou Zhou quickly noticed the faint marks scattered across Zhu Ming’s neck while assisting him. “Goodness ya, Zhu-ge, what the hell bit your neck like that… Wait a minute, does District Seven actually have mosquitoes in winter? These bites look vicious—could it be some genetically mutated new species? The mouthparts evolved to be this intense…”

The corner of Zhu Ming’s mouth twitched as he tugged his collar up with some effort. “…Probably some kind of new mutant species that evolved a beak.”

While Zhou Zhou was still lost in confusion, Zhu Ming’s steps suddenly slowed, stopping in front of an office door.

This was the third floor of K University’s Institute of Spiritual Manifestation Anomalies. Most of this area had originally belonged to Qin Weisheng’s team. Now that Qin Weisheng was in prison, his team had disbanded and scattered, leaving the entire lab deserted and desolate.

Zhu Ming quietly looked at the interior of Qin Weisheng’s office.

The bookshelves had been cleared of awards, and the desk was completely empty—there wasn’t a single trace of Qin Weisheng left. But perhaps the staff at K University had cleaned in a hurry, the only thing there was the potted Thousand-Star Tangerine on the windowsill, heavy with ripe fruit, left behind and forgotten.

Zhu Ming exhaled lightly, walked to the windowsill, and gently brushed his fingers over the textured leaves. After a moment, he bent down and picked up the Thousand-Star Tangerine, cradling it in his arms.

“I’ll carry it, Zhu-ge. I’m stronger,” Zhou Zhou offered immediately.

Zhu Ming shook his head, “It’s fine, I want to carry it myself for a while.”

They walked slowly and quietly through Qin Weisheng’s laboratory. Just as they turned a corner, they unexpectedly ran into someone.

—Ruan Min stood at his workstation, meticulously spraying alcohol and wiping down every corner.

He was doing it with great care. This had long been his routine in the K University lab—every day, before starting any experiments, he would always clean everything thoroughly. Over the years, he had repeated this process tens of thousands of times.

And today, it was destined to be his last.

So this time, he cleaned even more attentively, carefully wiping down every edge and crevice, as if bidding farewell to the past. A small sika deer spiritual manifestation crouched quietly at his feet, its eyes lowered, silently keeping him company.

When he unintentionally lifted his head, Ruan Min saw Zhu Ming and Zhou Zhou standing in the distance and froze. “Z-Zhu, Mr. Zhu…”

Zhu Ming’s expression remained natural. “Packing up?”

Ruan Min nodded awkwardly. “Yes.”

Zhu Ming studied his face for a while before asking, “Any plans for the future?”

“Most of the team members have already found new labs, but there are still two junior colleagues who haven’t been able to find a professor willing to take them in. I can’t help but worry about them.”

Ruan Min said softly, eyes downcast. “So I’m helping them revise and refine their research proposals, sending applications to universities outside K University. I’ll keep doing it until I find a lab willing to accept them.”

Zhu Ming nodded, “And you?”

Ruan Min was momentarily stunned, as if he hadn’t expected Zhu Ming to care about his future.

To outsiders, Ruan Min and Qin Weisheng were undoubtedly cut from the same cloth. Even though he had personally reported Qin Weisheng, his only source of support, he was still seen as a tumor to be avoided by other university labs—no one was willing to take the risk of hiring him.

“I don’t know,” Ruan Min’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. “Maybe I’ll go back to my rural hometown, visit my family, take a break, and then think about the future.”

“I’ll just take it one step at a time. Maybe I’ll become a teacher or a tutor—both are good options.” He lowered his head and forced a small smile. “Of course, that is if… anyone is willing to hire me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Ming didn’t respond right away, but Zhou Zhou’s expression grew complicated.

K University, as a top-tier institution, only admitted the best of the best—students who had passed through rigorous selection and interviews. In Ruan Min’s remote rural hometown, where educational resources were extremely scarce, it took centuries for even one student to get into K University.

He wasn’t an unparalleled genius, but to emerge from such an environment was already an exceptional feat.

Yet now, someone so outstanding had been reduced to this. Qin Weisheng had destroyed far more than just Zhu Ming’s life.

After a long silence, Zhu Ming placed the Thousand-Star Tangerine onto the nearby lab bench.

He glanced around the room before saying, “Ruan Min, I’m establishing my own research group at K University. It’ll focus on spiritual manifestation abnormalities, and the lab will likely be on the floor below this one.”

Ruan Min stared at him in a daze. “Congratulations.”

Zhu Ming’s tone was calm yet firm. “The lab is just getting started. It’s not a big team yet, but it’s well-equipped, and everyone has a lot of ideas. We’re planning to recruit researchers in related fields—especially those with solid experience.”

Ruan Min stood there blankly, and even the little sika deer at his feet blinked in confusion. “That sounds great ah.”

Zhu Ming: “…”

It was rare to see someone with such an incredibly slow reaction time. Even Zhou Zhou, who was usually oblivious, couldn’t help but cover his mouth and stifle a laugh with a cough.

Ruan Min looked between the two of them, finally realizing what was happening. His breathing quickened, and the sika deer at his feet widened its round eyes. “I-I don’t deserve—”

“Why wouldn’t you deserve it?”

Zhu Ming smiled slightly. “I may not be the best mentor either. It might take me a long time to fully adapt to this new role as well. But aren’t we starting from the same point?”

“I once made a small promise to my lover—to do my best to compete for the next Chief position.”

He raised his hand and lightly shook the wedding ring on his finger, letting out a soft sigh. “Since I’ve said it, if I don’t achieve it in the end, I’d be a little embarrassed in front of him.”

“So, we have to give it our best shot. It shouldn’t be too difficult, right?” He grinned.

Even the most well-funded and high-profile labs in District Seven wouldn’t dare to set such an audacious goal.

Yet, coming from him, it sounded effortless—like status and fame held no real appeal to him. What he truly cared about was simply fulfilling a small promise to his lover.

Zhu Ming’s lips curled slightly. “So, Ruan Min—would you consider joining my lab?”

Author’s notes:

That (eyes darting around) just in case anything unexpected happens in the future (poking fingers together), you guys can follow my Weibo in advance ha @芥菜糊糊.

And we’re almost at the finale! I’d love to get some starfish!1Another way to help the author boost their novel. (wiggles)