Chapter 148: The Day the Code Fell in Love (18)

All the equipment on the twenty-third ship was top-notch. Since it had already been inspected by him, there was no doubt it was flawless.

Sida Zao stared at Bai Yao’s face for a long moment, then whispered to Van Gogh, “What’s the relationship between Miss Bai and your commander?”

Given that they were both adjutants and shared a certain understanding—both obsessed with a woman because of their commander—Van Gogh lowered his voice and replied succinctly, “Ex-fiancés.”

As for why there was the word “ex,” it was the same as the current relationship between Gu Mohan and Hua Xin: both because Li Shenjue, like Gu Mohan, had found the true love of his life.

Sida Zao glanced again at Bai Yao holding Shi Jiu’s hand. He whispered, “Does Miss Bai also like synthetics?”

Van Gogh snapped back, “Mind your own business.”

Sida Zao fell silent but couldn’t help stealing a few more glances at Bai Yao. Unfortunately, Shi Jiu took a step aside and completely blocked his view.

Although Li Shenjue and his group didn’t know how Bai Yao had acquired this spaceship, all its controls were in her hands. And Bai Yao was never the type to be soft or obedient to others’ arrangements—on this ship, she was the one in charge.

There weren’t many empty rooms on the ship. Gu Mohan shared a room with Sida Zao, Li Shenjue and Van Gogh shared another, and the two women, Hua Xin and Ruan Jiao Jiao, had to share one room.

Ruan Jiao Jiao looked at Hua Xin and thought this woman was difficult to get along with. She pursed her lips, looking as wronged as a rabbit.

Li Shenjue said, “Jiao Jiao will share a room with me.”

Van Gogh immediately coughed, “Commander, you’re not planning to make me share a room with Miss Hua, are you?”

Hua Xin shot a glance at Van Gogh. “Keep dreaming.”

Van Gogh realized he had spoken too quickly and felt a bit embarrassed. But with so few rooms, if Li Shenjue took one with Ruan Jiao Jiao, where else could he sleep?

Hua Xin didn’t care where Van Gogh slept; she strode directly into the empty room, and as she entered, she casually touched her gun, her gaze lingering on Van Gogh in a way that said a warning.

Van Gogh had a strong feeling that if he dared enter her room, he would be shot without hesitation.

Gu Mohan spoke lazily, “Li Shenjue, you say Jiao Jiao is sharing a room with you just like that? Have you asked her opinion? Maybe she’d rather share a room with me?”

Li Shenjue’s expression was cold and resolute. “Jiao Jiao is carrying my triplets. Of course, only I can take good care of her.”

Gu Mohan was momentarily stunned.

Watching the scene, Bai Yao said, “Wow.”

Shi Jiu echoed, “Wow.”

Ruan Jiao Jiao caught Gu Mohan’s questioning gaze and suddenly felt embarrassed. Her eyes reddened as she shouted at Li Shenjue, “I don’t want to share a room with you!”

With that, she ran into Hua Xin’s room and shut the door.

Li Shenjue was about to knock, but Gu Mohan, having snapped back to his senses, blocked him, and the two began fighting again.

When immortals clash, mortals suffer.

***

Sida Zao and Van Gogh entered their respective rooms with perfect tacit understanding.

In the past, the twenty-third would help Gu Mohan pull Li Shenjue apart, but Gu Mohan had said men fighting didn’t need interference, forbidding the twenty-third’s involvement. So now, when faced with such scenes, the twenty-third simply stood still.

Bai Yao pointed to the last small room and said to the twenty-third, “This is your room.”

The twenty-third looked at Bai Yao uncertainly, unsure if she had made a mistake, so he asked, “I have a room too?”

Bai Yao countered, “Why wouldn’t you have one?”

The twenty-third’s face was expressionless, devoid of emotion, but now he seemed a bit puzzled. After a moment, he said, “Thank you.”

He had never had a room before, as he didn’t need rest. While others slept in their rooms, he would find a corner to stand and monitor the darkness.

Shi Jiu held Bai Yao’s hand and bent down to look at her. His black, lustrous eyes blinked pitifully. In a low, sleepy voice, he said, “Yao Yao, I’m tired.”

No one knew when he had learned to act so coquettishly.

Bai Yao stroked the top of his head. “Let’s go back and rest.”

Shi Jiu smiled and obediently followed her hand, walking forward.

The twenty-third should have objectively reminded Bai Yao that synthetics don’t feel tired, but she didn’t spare him a glance and led the boy into the room, closing the door behind them.

The twenty-third withdrew his gaze and entered his own room.

His visual system had night vision, so there was no need to turn on the light. The room was small but sufficient for one person.

Standing by the bed, he scanned the room in less than a second.

Yet he remained standing, just like when he used to stand in a corner. Even in a new environment, his programming had no setting for a military synthetic to “rest.” The earlier “thank you” to Bai Yao was merely a courtesy borrowed from human society.

As night deepened, the surrounding temperature dropped.

The room was well insulated against sound, but even the slightest noise could be caught by his advanced auditory system.

In the room across, Li Shenjue and Gu Mohan had started fighting again after a disagreement. Gu Mohan was guarding against Li Shenjue approaching Ruan Jiao Jiao, so he insisted on squeezing into the same room as Li Shenjue.

In the diagonally opposite room, Hua Xin sarcastically accused someone of being pregnant before marriage yet still trying to seduce other men. Ruan Jiao Jiao defended herself angrily, her voice soft and sweet.

Next door, Sida Zao was pestering Van Gogh for information about Bai Yao, but Van Gogh, irritated, told him to stop bothering him.

In the foremost room, the boy’s deliberately hushed breathing could be heard.

The sound echoed in the twenty-third’s ears so clearly that his eyes glittered. Images of the girl and boy entwined together continuously played across his visual system.

The boy let the girl run wild on him, and every depression in the mattress was met with his low moans, like the siren’s call of ancient legend.

“Yao Yao… this feels so good…” His fingers twined through a lock of her black hair, a gentle smile on his lips. “More…”

***

The girl’s hair slid down and brushed his fair, jade-like cheek. The boy chuckled softly, as if tickled, his dreamy eyes lifting slightly to smile warmly at her.

“Yao Yao, I really like this.”

Every glance from the boy appeared vividly before the twenty-third’s eyes.

The girl’s black hair, her snow-white skin, the imperceptible pulse of her delicate neck…

The twenty-third unconsciously lay down on the bed, quietly staring at the ceiling. His long, bony fingers opened, the pads brushing the mattress without leaving an indent.

Until, in what seemed like a moment of sensory synchronization, the kiss that touched the boy’s lips also touched his own. His fingertips trembled slightly.

Time passed unknowingly, and all returned to quiet.

The dim red glow flickering in the twenty-third’s eyes faded, giving way to the deepest black stillness. He blinked slowly, as if only just realizing, and looked down at himself.

His adult mode had inexplicably activated.

The twenty-third stared blankly, his database rapidly searching for possible malfunctions. Thousands of data points were scanned in seconds. After a couple more seconds, he blinked again.

The answer projected on his artificial retina kept scrolling, repeating the same word—Yao Yao.

Suddenly, like a virus breaching a firewall, his entire database was flooded with those two characters.

Yao Yao, Yao Yao, Yao Yao…

The twenty-third sat up from the bed. “Yao Yao!”

In the warm room, only a small lamp was lit.

Wrapped haphazardly in blankets, two people, worn from playful antics, rested. Bai Yao nestled in the boy’s arms, drowsy. Suddenly, she heard him laugh softly and opened her eyes to ask, “What good thought just crossed your mind?”

Shi Jiu rubbed her sore waist, leaned in, and kissed her lips. His eyes sparkled like stars. “Yao Yao, I want to give you the whole world—no one annoying, just you and me.”

Like a schoolboy proudly showing his perfect scores to his parents.

Bai Yao opened her arms and hugged him. She patted his back lightly and said dismissively, “Alright, alright, go to sleep.”

Shi Jiu buried his face in her chest, still glowing with excitement—just Yao Yao and his world, that world wrapped in his love.

Just calculating and constructing the data alone made his code go wild, as if ready to burst through his body.

Yes, this world, this universe, without those greedy humans, would be so much more beautiful.

So—let them all disappear.