Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 52
Lover
Ji Jiu sleepily opened his eyes, only to find himself snuggled within his owner’s embrace.
The tall man enveloped his slender frame completely, while the starfish that had been between them before they went to sleep had slipped onto the floor beside the bed.
Ji Jiu, still drowsy, mumbled, “Star?”
He rolled over in search of his little pet, unintentionally brushing against something hard.
There was a fleeting hint of something complex in Si Yin Yuan’s eyes. In a husky and slightly seductive morning voice, he said, “You kicked it off the bed in your sleep yesterday. Let’s not put it on the bed next time.”
Ji Jiu opened his little mouth, not guarded against the man at all. He revealed his elusive tongue and a beautiful face that wasn’t yet fully awake. After a blank “Ah?” and a few seconds of groggy contemplation, he obediently nodded.
He hadn’t even considered the possibility of his owner deceiving him. He simply thought that he had slept poorly and kicked the starfish off in his sleep, then accidentally snuggled into his owner’s embrace.
The tone of Si Yin Yuan’s voice grew somewhat obscure. He released Ji Jiu and, in the process, covered up his natural response upon waking. He coaxed Ji Jiu to brush his teeth and then got up alone to take a shower.
Freshwater resources on the island were scarce, so everything in the villa except drinking water was sourced from seawater.
He lifted his wet hair off his forehead, revealing sharp eyebrows. Water droplets ran down his sensual figure, and his expression carried a hint of contemplation.
After awakening, he usually managed to control himself in the mornings. However, ever since he started sharing a bed with Ji Jiu, there had been some “accidents” quite often.
Perhaps it had been too long without any release, and he happened to lack interest in such matters. His focus during the day was mainly on hunting mutants.
Si Yin Yuan was entirely open about this normal reaction, but he worried it might frighten Ji Jiu. Holding the soft, sleeping boy was just so comfortable. Ji Jiu appeared delicate and soft to the touch but had a boyish, bony structure, and Si Yin Yuan had grown entirely accustomed to sleeping while holding him, not wanting to let him slip away.
The man lowered his head, oblivious to the fact that his possessiveness had reached a dangerous edge.
Ji Jiu, after freshening up, picked up the starfish and couldn’t resist taking a couple of bites. He then watched with satisfaction as the starfish quickly grew new tentacles before reattaching it to his waist.
“Owner is taking so long today,” Ji Jiu thought.
He gazed at the bathroom and, driven by boredom, decided to leave the room on his own.
He wanted to find something to eat for breakfast.
Just as he turned the corner, he encountered Chen Zhaonian, who was holding a stone. The moment Chen Zhaonian saw Ji Jiu emerge from that room, he hesitated and greeted him with some embarrassment, “Good morning.”
Chen Zhaonian’s grip on the stone tightened slightly. He wanted to get closer to Ji Jiu but didn’t know how to start. Seeing Ji Jiu about to pass him by and head downstairs, he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Why did you two sleep in the same room yesterday?”
The villa had many rooms, and most other people were sleeping alone.
Chen Zhaonian immediately regretted his question. He hadn’t interacted with people for so long that his already low social skills had deteriorated even further. In reality, he just wanted to engage in a conversation with someone.
Ji Jiu glanced at him, puzzled. “Because he’s my owner.”
Chen Zhaonian was taken aback by Ji Jiu’s directness. He hesitated and struggled a bit before asking, “Ow… owner?”
Ji Jiu nonchalantly nodded.
After seeing Ji Jiu’s complete lack of hesitation regarding the matter, Chen Zhaonian mustered some courage. “Are you his lover?”
In the base, many people misunderstood the relationship between Ji Jiu and Si Yin Yuan. Members of the guild believed they were in a relationship, while outsiders thought Ji Jiu was being kept. Yet, Si Yin Yuan’s protective nature had deterred anyone from bringing up this topic in Ji Jiu’s presence.
As Ji Jiu walked downstairs, he blinked with curiosity, “Lover?”
Chen Zhaonian quickly clutched his stone and kept up with Ji Jiu. “Aren’t you being kept by him?”
Ji Jiu thought for a moment, finding the term fresh and amusing. He was like a little plant nurtured by his owner, so he gladly embraced this new title. Thus, he nodded confidently, accepting the name “lover” without any reservation.
This response was rather expected. Ji Jiu’s extraordinary beauty made it difficult for even straight individuals to resist. He had been spoiled by Si Yin Yuan, yet still retained an air of innocence and vulnerability.
Chen Zhaonian had been a rich kid in the pre-apocalyptic world, and he had seen and understood more than the average person. Wealthy people often indulged in various relationships with attractive individuals, regardless of their gender.
He had spent the entire night tossing and turning, fearing that this was all just a dream and worrying about being abandoned by the group. His decision was to improve his relationship with them first to ensure he wouldn’t be left behind.
Ji Jiu was uninterested in this topic and was eager to have breakfast.
Chen Zhaonian, who was used to receiving no response, continued to speak to himself, “Don’t you want to stay by his side?”
Does that mean Si Yin Yuan would separate from him?
Ji Jiu slowed his steps slightly. “What do you mean?”
Could his owner leave him?
Seeing Ji Jiu’s renewed interest, Chen Zhaonian felt a sense of satisfaction. “People like him are usually quite fickle in their emotions.” He chose not to voice the last part of his thought, about Ji Jiu being just a lover.
Ji Jiu turned his head, and his aura changed in an instant. His black eyes became calm and icy. “Go on.”
…
When Si Yin Yuan came downstairs, he saw Chen Zhaonian and Ji Jiu sitting at the dining table, quite close to each other as if they were having a conversation.
When he spotted Si Yin Yuan, Chen Zhaonian was startled and quickly moved away from Ji Jiu, nearly toppling his chair.
Not wanting to think much about it, Si Yin Yuan walked over to Ji Jiu, ruffled his hair, and asked, “Are you hungry?”
Ji Jiu reached out, grabbing his shirt. He nodded, seeming even clingier than before.
This thought crossed Si Yin Yuan’s mind: Ji Jiu was becoming more attached to him.
He said, “Have some nutrient solution first. We’ll get you some seafood for a barbecue after we leave the island.”
“Okay,” Ji Jiu obediently replied, still holding onto his shirt.
Just as when he first arrived at the base, Ji Jiu enjoyed grabbing a man’s shirt, and Si Yin Yuan allowed him to do so. An unexpected sense of pleasure had grown in Si Yin Yuan’s heart. It felt like being ensnared by a little cat that would extend its claws into a fluffy ball.
Chen Zhaonian also received a tube of nutrient solution. He stole a glance at Ji Jiu’s nutrient solution and noticed it was pink and emitted a faint, sweet strawberry scent, while the others had plain gray nutrient solutions with a slightly unpleasant plastic taste.
This observation further confirmed his suspicions about Ji Jiu’s identity.
However, he failed to realize that the person he had imagined to be the sugar daddy, Si Yin Yuan, was drinking the same gray nutrient solution as everyone else, reserving the best for Ji Jiu.
After eating, they set out to the central part of the island to search for the signal tower. Chen Zhaonian produced a map that covered the entire island.
There used to be paths on the island, but now they were entirely covered by mutants. The roads and road signs had disappeared as well.
Ying Xiao took another flight overhead, creating a more accurate map.
Chen Zhaonian, still clutching his stone, was astonished. “Is this the awakened ability?”
Although they had witnessed them kill mutants at the villa’s entrance yesterday, the visual impact of such a transformed ability, like Ying Xiao’s, was still significant.
Chen Zhaonian was growing nervous again. He was afraid he was too useless and would be left behind. So he approached Ji Jiu and whispered, “None of us has abilities. Please, don’t look down on me.”
He saw Ji Jiu as a regular person like himself and sought validation.
Ji Jiu had little patience for anyone except his owner. He didn’t quite catch what Chen Zhaonian said but nodded without much thought.
Ying Xiao added, “The red mist in that area is quite eerie, and I didn’t dare to get too close.”
Ji Ning was thoughtful in the sunlight. “What kind of plant could be referred to as ‘Beautiful Red Lips’? ”
Ban Tang pondered for a moment. “I had ornamental pineapple plants before the apocalypse. Their leaves were bright red with serrated edges.”
Yu Feichen expressed his surprise, “You had plants even before the apocalypse? It must be hard to see your well-taken care of plants turn into mutants.”
No one could have anticipated that plants they had nurtured so carefully would mutate into something entirely different after the apocalypse. Initially, some couldn’t believe that their cultivated plants were mutating, but as more were consumed, those who remained quickly accepted this new reality.
Ji Jiu, who was sensitive to their conversation, raised his head with a hint of confusion.
Would humans be unhappy if the plants they raised mutated?
Ban Tang smiled gently, “Yes, it’s quite sad.”
Yu Feichen wanted to continue, but was silenced by Li Chao.
Li Chao gazed ahead and said, “Don’t get distracted.”
The conversation promptly ended.
Ji Jiu turned to his owner, once again carefully reaching out and grabbing Si Yin Yuan’s shirt.
With no transportation and the addition of Chen Zhaonian, who had no combat abilities, their movement became slower. Mutants of various species occasionally rushed toward them, one after another.
Ji Jiu grabbed a strange black beetle and instinctively moved it toward his mouth, but Si Yin Yuan promptly stopped him. “Don’t eat strange things.”
Balancing between leading the way and ensuring Ji Jiu didn’t eat indiscriminately, Si Yin Yuan found it rather challenging.
Ji Jiu, recalling Chen Zhaonian’s words, reluctantly threw away the strange creature he was holding. He looked up at Si Yin Yuan, very dependent, and obedient. It seemed that he had given up his food thinking about what Chen Zhaonian had told him.
Si Yin Yuan’s pupils slightly contracted, and he realized that Ji Jiu had indeed become more clingy and obedient today.
Just like in the case of a cat owner, when the cat unusually obeys, the owner might get more worried.
He scanned everyone and made sure Ji Jiu wasn’t feeling unwell.
As they continued,Yu Feichen, leading the way, suddenly exclaimed, “We’ve arrived! The Beautiful Red Lips Sea!”