FT DR Chapter 25: Stirrings of Affection

Chapter 25: Stirrings of Affection

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After six hours of flight, the starship finally arrived at its destination. Entering the orbit of the asteroid, the flight smoothly descended, and the captain activated the gravity system. Everyone unfastened their seat belts and began to move around in the aisle.

“Look, that’s our laboratory!” Chen Miaomiao exclaimed excitedly as he leaned against the porthole to look outside. Wu Chenghe leaned over and discovered a large-scale space station visible to the naked eye in front of them. It was their destination – the Grasshopper Space Station. The surface temperature of the asteroid was extremely low, and the vegetation was complex. Due to the inability of the school to conduct research on the surface, they only established a laboratory on the space station and regularly sent probes down to collect samples.

“Alright, kids,” the project leader smiled and clapped his hands. “Later, we will take a small shuttle to ‘Grasshopper’. There’s no gravity simulation system there, so for the next two days, everyone will have to spend time in a weightless state. If you feel uncomfortable, please inform your teacher immediately.”

“Yes!”

The shuttle was for two people, and Wu Chenghe happened to be paired with Jin Xuan. When the cabin cover closed, Jin Xuan noticed Wu Chenghe nervously clenching his fists. He gently covered his hand, saying, “Don’t be nervous, it’s only a half-hour journey.”

His palm was dry and warm, with slight calluses on his fingers, but they were very slender and straight. Wu Chenghe noticed that his nails were finely engraved and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you engrave your nails too? Isn’t it uncomfortable?” 

Jin Xuan was indeed a non-conformist, but he had shifted from openly rebellious to subtly rebellious.

“Well, it’s laser-engraved on the inside, so the surface is very smooth and won’t affect my work.” Jin Xuan raised his hand to show him. “This is a seal script, do you recognize it?”

Wu Chenghe shook his head honestly; he didn’t have much skill in calligraphy.

“It’s your name.” Jin Xuan raised an eyebrow. “I specifically searched through ancient texts to find these three characters and made an artistic variation. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Wu Chenghe’s goosebumps rose all over his body. Although the agreement stated that he couldn’t stop Jin Xuan from pursuing him, wasn’t this pursuit method a bit too much? He remembered hearing in the news that a guy tattooed his girlfriend’s name on a certain body part and regretted it after breaking up. Would this guy also… Damn, people really did crazy things! Wu Chenghe found that under the influence of Jin Xuan, his imagination was getting wilder.

“Do you feel my love for you?” Jin Xuan saw that he was so moved by his gesture that he couldn’t speak and felt particularly proud inside. Taking advantage of the moment when his little guide was stunned, he held his hand and touched it, feeling how soft and smooth it was, then touched it again.

“… Have you touched enough?” Wu Chenghe regained his senses, his face instantly as dark as the bottom of a pot. “You’re making me sweaty!”

Having his malicious intentions exposed, Jin Xuan smiled and let go of his hand. “I just wanted you to relax. Look, you’re all sweaty.”

“That’s because of you!” Wu Chenghe glared at him irritably.

His fierce yet silly demeanor was just too cute! Jin Xuan smiled even more happily.

Half an hour later, the shuttle entered the “Grasshopper” space station. Wu Chenghe had excellent coordination and quickly mastered the essentials of movement in weightlessness, smoothly drifting into the laboratory. Chen Miaomiao had a slight reaction to weightlessness, scrambling to find a seat and immediately securing himself, clutching a paper bag and starting to retch.

The teacher and assistant went to adjust the machines, so Wu Chenghe had to drag a huge thermal insulation box to the sample room alone. This time they brought over five hundred samples, each of which had to be placed in different culture chambers.

Five hundred samples meant a lot of work. Although there was no gravity here, just setting the environmental conditions for each culture chamber was quite complex. Wu Chenghe worked for a while before completing just over half of them.

“Is he still vomiting?” Jin Xuan slipped in at some point, frowning when he saw Wu Chenghe working alone. “How long will you take to handle all these samples by yourself?”

“It’s a reaction to weightlessness; he’s young and not used to it.” Wu Chenghe looked around, relaxed, and pushed the thermal insulation box towards him. “Do you have time to help?”

“Of course.” Jin Xuan was eager to please his little guide. Although Wu Chenghe seemed easygoing, he was actually hard to pursue, not to mention he was very shy (he really was!). Jin Xuan took advantage of his authority to get him into the group he was responsible for.

Hehehehe…

With two people working, the efficiency was much higher. Although Wu Chenghe was not yet an adult and couldn’t feel the “100% compatibility” Jin Xuan often mentioned, there seemed to be a strange telepathic connection between them. Often, when he wanted something, he would reach out, and before he even spoke, Jin Xuan would hand it over, showing a special understanding.

And Jin Xuan’s big golden retriever, after several months of interaction, began to stick to Wu Chenghe more and more, watching him work for a while before starting to massage his shoulders with its front paws, very filial.

“When did it learn to massage?” Wu Chenghe felt very comfortable with the big paw massaging him and turned his neck, asking.

Jin Xuan’s fingers flew as he set up the instrument. “The community’s calico cat had kittens, so it learned from the kittens. Haven’t you noticed it’s completely in sync with the rhythm of a cat kneading?”

“… ” Wu Chenghe silently pushed away the stupid lion’s paw, hinting that it shouldn’t knead him anymore. The Barbary lion cub suffered a ruthless rejection, curling up and floating behind Jin Xuan, whimpering in grievance and occasionally using its tail to brush against his calf.

Annoyed by the lion’s behavior, Jin Xuan had to ask Wu Chenghe, “It wants to know where your quantum beast is. Can it meet him? I know it’s been looking for him for so long and it’s a bit dumb, but please, for my sake. Lately, it’s been suspecting it’s nearsighted and very depressed.”

You have no face in my eyes! Wu Chenghe had no intention of handing over the little light bulb. Ever since he found out he was a guide, he felt particularly insecure, especially when facing Jin Xuan – this guy was too brutal and too inscrutable!

“I don’t have a quantum beast.” Wu Chenghe said with a straight face, making up nonsense. “I’m a disabled guide.”

“… ” Jin Xuan looked at his little boyfriend’s earnest face and exerted great effort to restrain his impulse to kiss him. Through telepathic communication, he told the lion: I’ve done my best.

The stupid lion, who was teamed up to be teased by its owner and quasi-owner, floated away crying.

Wu Chenghe felt the little Light Bulb on his ear gently squirming, as if relieved, then started moving up and down on his ear. 

Don’t learn from that stupid thing to knead! Wu Chenghe warned his quantum beast through telepathic communication: You have too many legs!

【TAT】

“To be honest, where is your quantum beast? Is it invisible? Or is it too small?” Jin Xuan couldn’t help but ask, his curiosity getting the better of him.

After finishing the last sample, Wu Chenghe closed the cabinet and said earnestly, “I’m telling the truth, I’m a level one disabled, I don’t have a quantum beast.”

The way he earnestly told lies was simply adorable! Jin Xuan couldn’t resist and quickly kissed him on the nose before Wu Chenghe could react, then swiftly turned around before he could explode in anger, floating away with his Barbary lion.

“You!” Wu Chenghe was furious and rushed to kick him, but because he hadn’t fully adapted to weightlessness, he exerted too much force, and his whole body started spinning in mid-air. With no resistance and no gravity, he spun around for a long time and couldn’t stop. 

In the end, it was Chen Miaomiao, who had finished vomiting bile, who came to rescue him. “Senior, you’re amazing! I’ve just learned to float, and you’re already spinning in circles!”

Wu Chenghe felt dizzy and was almost crying because of these stupid people. He was retching while saying, “It’s just a mistake in movement, I can’t stop!” 

It was worse than drinking too much energy drink!

Because of the “indecent” incident, Wu Chenghe ignored Jin Xuan for the whole day. Jin Xuan, knowing he had overstepped, didn’t dare to provoke him again, quietly helping him when he was overwhelmed, afraid of being caught, sneaking around like a thief. Chen Miaomiao was a careful child and gradually noticed something fishy between them. When there was no one around, he asked Wu Chenghe, “Senior, is King pursuing you?”

Wu Chenghe almost spat out blood. Chen Miaomiao continued, “Senior, was that ‘beloved’ he mentioned at the farewell performance about you?”

He definitely couldn’t admit to that! Wu Chenghe forced the blood in his chest down, stiffly laughed, and said, “You’re thinking too much. Isn’t he an assistant teacher? Since we’re busy, of course he should help. It’s what he should do.”

Chen Miaomiao remained suspicious. “But the way he looks at you is too much, like a cat looking at a fish. It doesn’t match King’s aloof style at all.”

“That’s all in your imagination!” Wu Chenghe broke out in a cold sweat and wanted to use a mental suggestion on him.

After finally pacifying the gossiping little kid, Wu Chenghe felt parched and dry, preparing to go back to the rest cabin for a while, but he met Jin Xuan at the door.

“Are you still angry with me?” Jin Xuan smiled, reaching out to touch his head. “Can’t I apologize to you? It’s all my fault, okay?”

It was all his fault from the start! Wu Chenghe dodged his dirty hand. “Go away! Chen Miaomiao already suspects us.”

“That kid has good taste.” Jin Xuan praised, “Your two teachers haven’t noticed anything.”

Wu Chenghe felt that he and Jin Xuan were not on the same wavelength at all, so he bypassed him and prepared to leave, but Jin Xuan grabbed his ankle. Jin Xuan leaned in and whispered, “Do you want to go out for a walk?”

Wu Chenghe didn’t understand. “How do we walk?”

“Spacewalk, I need to go outside the lab to change a part.” Jin Xuan blinked, “I happen to have a spare spacesuit. Do you want to go out and play together?”

Wu Chenghe was a bit tempted but also worried. “I haven’t been trained, can I do it?”

“I’ve got everything under control.”

In the end, Wu Chenghe couldn’t resist the temptation. He changed into a spare spacesuit and followed Jin Xuan to the exit of Zone A.

“Are you ready?” Jin Xuan connected them with a tether and lightly tapped his helmet with his own. Wu Chenghe was a little nervous but more excited, nodding, “Ready.”

“Let’s go.” Jin Xuan entered the password and opened the space door, pulling Wu Chenghe into the vast universe.

Through the face mask of the spacesuit, Wu Chenghe saw the deep and brilliant starry sea. On one side of the space station, the asteroid looked like a huge glowing body, surrounded by a faint green light. On its equator, there was a bright yellow halo composed of ice crystal fragments, reflecting the light emitted by the yellow dwarf star, exceptionally beautiful and dazzling.

“Look, that’s Gabriel.” Jin Xuan lightly tapped his shoulder with his finger, and Wu Chenghe turned a little to look. Gabriel Military Harbor had turned into a dim little star. If it weren’t for the intelligent star domain navigation map on the face mask, he almost wouldn’t recognize it.

“It’s so beautiful!” Wu Chenghe sighed. He had never thought he would be able to walk in space one day, standing in the silent universe. He felt his body trembling lightly with excitement and fear, his fingertips tingling slightly.

“I’ll take you to that side, my lab is over there.” Jin Xuan activated the thrusters on the spacesuit, slowly adjusting their direction towards a small experimental cabin on the opposite side of the space station. “I need to observe some data and change a small accessory for the lab.”

It was Wu Chenghe’s first time wearing a spacesuit, and he didn’t know how to move at all. He was dragged along like a puppet by Jin Xuan, floating and swaying, feeling very curious.

“We’re here.” Jin Xuan stopped and undid the tether around his waist. “You can float around here for a while, I’ll go in to change the part, and in five minutes, we’ll go back to the space station.”

Jin Xuan’s figure disappeared into the experimental cabin. In the vast universe, it seemed like there was only him left. Wu Chenghe felt a little uneasy and was about to say something through the communicator to bolster his courage when he heard a melodious whistle.

Jin Xuan started whistling a simple tune, ethereal and gentle. Wu Chenghe looked at the boundless starry sea and felt that the tune was particularly fitting for the occasion. He asked, “What song is this?”

“‘Sea of Sperm Whales’,” Jin Xuan said. “The universe is like the sea, and we are like fish.”

After he finished whistling it once, he started again from the beginning. Wu Chenghe listened for a while and couldn’t help but hum along. The voices of the two merged through the communicator, creating a strange harmony. The melody was perfect, as if they had rehearsed it many times.

Wu Chenghe felt a strange sensation in his heart and was about to grasp that feeling of palpitation when he heard Jin Xuan stop whistling suddenly. “Wait!”

“What?” Wu Chenghe also stopped.

“Someone is approaching us.” Jin Xuan said, “I placed some small probes a thousand kilometers away and just received an alert. There’s an unidentified spacecraft approaching.” He quickly floated out of the experimental cabin, approached Wu Chenghe, and reconnected them with a tether. “The situation is a bit off, we need to go back to the space station immediately.”

Author:

The song “The Sea of Sperm Whales” 抹香鲸之海 is indeed real, a song by Nie Jun. You can still find animated music videos for it. It’s a very simple little tune. I used to read Nie Jun’s comics a lot when I was a kid, like “Diudiu Xia” and “My Street.” I wonder if there are any fans out there… 

Oops, I just revealed my age!!! covers face and runs away

Addis: Someone made a Youtube video with a short audio drama for this exact part in the novel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYcujZfNUm4