Chapter 26.1 The Reader and Protagonist Definitely Have to Be in True Love

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Chapter 26.1 Reader: Soak in the hot springs, talk about life

White steam filled the hot springs and the pungent smell of sulphur permeated the air. This was Du Ze’s first volcanic hot springs experience. In the twenty-first century, he was a loser who liked to stay at home. Of course he has never been to a hot springs. In fact, he has never even been to a public bath.

Du Ze turned to Xiu and found that the other person was already taking his clothes off, completely at ease in this setting. Xiu took hold of the bottom of his coat before pulling it up over his head. The movement of the muscles on his waist was quite fascinating, exhibiting both beauty and strength. Du Ze stared at Xiu’s slim and strong physique, not to mention those abs… Du Ze’s hands stopped in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt.

This “boiled chicken”- looking man also has dignity. QAQ

Xiu had just taken off his coat when, to his surprise, he saw that Du Ze was already sitting in the hot spring. It seems like the cute little fool of a reader had undressed faster than the speed of light.¹ Xiu was involuntarily attracted by the sight of Du Ze in the hot spring. The black-haired youth had taken off the glasses and the headphones that he always wore. As a result, he would squint in the hot steam. In that pair of black eyes, dense ripples were reflected.

Some of the steam condensed into water. Drops of water trailed down along Du Ze’s neck onto his collarbones. The skin there is very white since it is rarely exposed to sunlight by this shut-in. Xiu knows the warm touch of that skin. The color of Xiu’s eyes darkened as he remembered how two people’s skin were touching each other a few days ago. Xiu narrowed his eyes.

I want to …

Du Ze wiped his face. The steam made everything look white even when he tried to focus his eyes. Not only was his vision affected, he could also barely hear any sounds at this time. Du Ze felt the water rippling when Xiu entered. The blonde-haired blue-eyed youth sat beside him at half an arm’s length away; he could see Xiu’s face despite his high myopia.

Xiu seemed to be satisfied. When the other person sighed, Du Ze understood his mood very well; this feeling that even the pores are open to breathe freely, it’s very calming. Recently he has been chasing the runaway plot, but now was the chance to take a break. Looking at the relaxed serene face of the protagonist, a silly, cute person thinks that now is a good time to talk about life, so …

****! Why aren’t you waterproof?! @Headphones

Every time I want to increase my favorability rating, the headphones always go on strike.

At this time, Du Ze glanced at Xiu, who seemed to say something. Not wanting to miss a good opportunity, Du Ze couldn’t help speaking. Anyway, he spoke to Xiu once before when his hearing aid died, back in Halphas City when they were making their escape. He’s not sure why, but his social barrier seems to be less obstructive these days?

“What did you just say?”

Xiu looked startled and seemed to suddenly become aware of Du Ze’s ear problem. He grabbed Du Ze’s hand from under the water and, like the gnome did before, wrote a sentence in Du Ze’s palm: [Singing.]

He was singing … I’m even more unwilling to fall!² For the protagonist to be in such a good mood that he will sing, this is something he only read once in 500 chapters of “Mixed Blood!”

Du Ze nodded impassively then motioned to the other person to continue, no need to pay attention to him, but in his heart he was sitting in a corner growing mushrooms out of depression. Because he was distracted, some silly Moe person didn’t realize that Xiu didn’t let go of his hand after finishing.

“Du Ze?”

The soft voice echoed in the steam, but the person who was being called had no reaction. In the white water the inverted image of the blonde youth was distorted.

Amidst the steam, the expression on Xiu’s face was ambiguous: “I thought about this for a long time.”

This person is important – why is this person important?

“If caring is the same as liking.”

This person is different.

“If wanting to control something is liking.”

The man must stay with him all the time.

“If wanting to monopolize something is liking.”

This man is his.

“Well, Du Ze,” he smiled and said to his utterly silent and only audience. “I like you.”³

His voice was gentle, but with an almost brutal determination. There was no room for rejection or opposition. It was a verdict and a proclamation, not an opinion. Like a mighty king, he led the army to stand in front of the enemy and openly declared his intent to invade.

Looking at Xiu’s smile, Du Ze though that the song must be very good because the other’s expression was so gentle. He really wanted to listen to that song but the hardware condition was too weak and couldn’t receive a signal.

He wanted to hear the song so much that Du Ze finally couldn’t help but to speak up: “This song, when I can hear, can you sing to me again?”

Xiu stared at his oblivious prey, the corners of his mouth were still turned up while his eyes became more and more mysterious. He wrote on Du Ze’s palm, like describing invisible shackles.

[Alright.]⁴

Wait until he draws in the net. Even if that person doesn’t want to listen, he will say the words to him, and he will not let this person struggle or escape.⁵

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1. Literally “broke through the horizon” speed. I just changed it so it would sound better.
2. 摔 – to fall, to throw on ground, or metaphorically to play in bed…
3. 喜欢 – the two characters mean “like” and “happy.”
4. TN: I guess he wrote this character 好 which he literally thought looked like shackles (unlikely) or that was metaphorical and Xiu is just saying he wants to chain Du Ze to him.
5. Du Ze is a fish that Xiu hopes to catch in his net.