Xie Sen sat in the passenger seat. Seeing Maine stop the shuttle, he glanced outside. They weren't at the apartment yet; it was a supermarket. He asked, "Do you need anything? We still have enough meat at home."
The shuttle was bathed in a warm, yellow light, not very bright. The light cast a faint shadow on Maine's face, making his eyes slightly dark. He looked at Xie Sen and said, "Yes, I need to buy something. I'll be right back. Wait for me in the shuttle."
Xie Sen didn't think much of it and reached for the door. "I'll go with you."
"No need," Maine immediately said. "You wait here."
Xie Sen raised an eyebrow, sensing something was off. Given Maine's clinginess, there was no reason to refuse such a small request.
Did Maine not want him to know what he wanted to buy? Xie Sen's mind raced, and he had a guess. She definitely wanted to give him a gift, a surprise, and didn't want him to know beforehand.
Xie Sen thought it over and became increasingly convinced of its possibility, then smiled and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you here."
Maine was quick; the entire process from leaving to returning took no more than three minutes. Seeing his empty hands, Xie Sen felt a little expectant, wondering what he would buy.
When they got home, Xie Sen went straight to the bedroom to find a change of clothes, preparing to take a shower. As he grabbed his clothes, Maine's gaze followed him. He looked at Maine and asked, "Are you going to your bedroom to shower? What are you standing there for?"
He smiled, wondering if Maine was planning to give him a gift now. He tentatively asked, "Is something wrong?"
Maine replied, "I'll shower with you."
Xie Sen paused in his clothes-grabbing motion. Shower together? He coughed lightly, refusing, "No, go next door."
Maine took two steps forward, trapping him between the wardrobes, and whispered in his ear, "Why? Are you scared, or shy?"
Xie Sen blushed, tilting his head to avoid his burning breath, while pushing him away, "What's there to be scared of? Two grown men, it'll be too crowded and inconvenient to shower together."
Maine stood firmly, unmoved by his push, and said thoughtfully, "I'll tell the construction company tomorrow to enlarge the bathroom, the bathtub should be big enough for at least two people."
"No!" Xie Sen quickly said. The bathtub was already custom-made to be large size; anyone could tell why he specifically brought this up.
"Why?" Maine met his gaze, then suddenly chuckled, reaching out to gently tug at his left earlobe. "It's so red, you're shy."
Xie Sen's legs went weak instantly. He braced himself against the wardrobe, thinking things would spiral out of control if this continued. He slapped Maine's hand away: "Get out! Take your hand away!"
Maine didn't leave. Instead, he bent down and swept Xie Sen up in his arms, striding towards the bathroom. Xie Sen immediately struggled, his hands and feet flailing: "Put me down!"
Maine stopped: "You don't want to be intimate with me?"
"No..." Xie Sen's face flushed. They had already been completely naked in bed, but the thought of bathing together in the bathtub made his heart pound uncontrollably. He gripped Maine's arm, reflecting on his reaction, feeling incredibly unmanly. Suddenly, Gu Luo's words flashed through his mind: 'You are a female!'
He jolted awake and exclaimed, "Fine, we'll shower together then! It's not like we haven't met before. Put me down, I haven't even grabbed my change of clothes yet, and neither have yours." Maine
looked at him, puzzled, completely baffled by his sudden change of heart. However, he was satisfied with the outcome, carrying him back to the wardrobe and casually grabbing a pair of shorts and a vest.
Xie Sen also grabbed his clothes, and seeing Maine trying to carry him again, he quickly walked towards the bathroom, saying, "I can walk myself."
The two brushed their teeth and washed their faces side-by-side at the sink. Xie Sen looked at the two of them in the mirror and grinned. Maine and his reflection in the mirror met his gaze, and
Xie Sen smiled back. After washing up, they went into the bathroom together. Xie Sen, prepared for the worst, didn't hesitate and quickly stripped off his clothes. He stole a glance at Maine beside him, then immediately looked away.
The difference was striking!
He turned on the hot water tap in the bathtub, stood in the corner with his back to Maine, and rinsed his body with the hot water. After rinsing once, he put the showerhead aside and was about to get some shower gel when Maine reached out and helped him apply it.
"I'll help you wash," Maine said, his voice slightly hoarse.
Xie Sen leaned against the frosted glass wall, coughed lightly, and tried to keep his voice normal: "Then I'll help you wash later."
Maine's movements paused slightly, and his voice became even hoarser: "Okay."
Maine washed him carefully, getting closer and closer.
Xie Sen noticed him, and the contrast between them became more obvious. Gu Luo's words resurfaced in his mind, and he rubbed his face.
Maine gently pressed the back of his head forward with his palm, and he lowered his head slightly following Maine's pressure. The moderately warm water washed over his body with foam. He looked at the rising steam on the glass, gritted his teeth, and finally couldn't help but ask.
"Do you think I look like a female?"
Maine's expression turned slightly cold. "Is someone mocking you?"
"No," Xie Sen didn't expect Maine's reaction. "Am I too different from males? More like a female?"
Maine gently stroked the peony on his right shoulder. "You're a plant-type beast master, it's normal that you're different from animal-type beast masters."
This meant that he really did look like a female, no, it should be said—he was female.
Xie Sen looked at his slender white arms, Gu Luo's words flashing through his mind. He had always been unwilling to think about it, unwilling to believe that he was female.
Here, female meant woman, someone who could give birth!
But he was actually very clear about one thing: this possibility existed, because his body wasn't his own, it belonged to this world. So even if he made up various excuses, that Gu Luo was joking, talking nonsense… he would still be affected by Gu Luo's words, would be terrified by them.
Because subconsciously, he had already believed it, he just didn't want to believe it, so he found various reasons to refute it.
Maine noticed his trembling and quickly carried him to the bathtub filled with warm water, reaching out to feel his forehead: "Are you uncomfortable? Cold?"
Xie Sen grabbed his hand: "What would you do if I were female?"
Maine realized his meaning and squeezed his hand back: "No matter what your gender is, I want to be with you, and if you were female," a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes, "then we would have our own child."
Xie Sen trembled: "No..." he gritted his teeth, "I can't have children!"
The thought of himself heavily pregnant terrified him more than watching the worst horror movie, and he repeated: "I can't have children."
Maine reached out and hugged him, his eyes filled with heartache. He thought, Xie Sen had always thought he was male, and suddenly knowing he was female must have terrified him.
If someone told him he could have children, his reaction would definitely be more intense than Xie Sen's.
He reassured him: "Yes, no one will force you."
Xie Sen thought of Gu Luo's fear of confessing his worries and couldn't help but ask: "Don't you want children?"
"I only want you," Maine said without thinking.
Xie Sen relaxed a lot and nudged his shoulder: "Get up, I'll help you take a bath."
Soon after, Xie Sen was wrapped in an oversized towel and carried to the bed by Maine. His entire body was flushed a light pink. Maine removed the towel, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
The two already knew each other well, and things were progressing smoothly. The room was filled with a heart-pounding, passionate atmosphere. Xie Sen only snapped back to reality when he felt Maine's fingers move straight down the back of his neck, landing unexpectedly on a certain spot. He turned around and grabbed Maine's hand.
"W-what are you doing?" Xie Sen asked nervously.
Maine kissed his lips. "Don't be afraid. Assistant Gu said you're only worried about those taboos. Don't worry, I've prepared protection."
He stepped back slightly, revealing a light green box in his hand. Xie Sen knew what it was at a glance—condoms from this world! He'd seen them every time he went to the supermarket.
The first time he saw them, he thought, "What a coincidence, they're always near the exit, so convenient to buy.
" He asked, "Did you buy these at the supermarket before?"
Maine nodded. "Yes."
No wonder he bought them so quickly! Xie Sen looked at the gift he thought Maine was holding, feeling a mix of anticipation and fear. Could two men really do it?
It turned out, not only could they, but it was incredibly pleasurable. Xie Sen lay limply on the bed, his body filled with a strange sense of satisfaction. He was initially incredibly nervous, but the scene he had expected—a bloody mess and unbearable pain—did not occur.
There was some pain, but compared to the pleasure, it was completely bearable, except for the soreness in his lower back afterward.
Maine held him, massaging him, her eyes filled with deep affection and tenderness.
Xie Sen turned his head to look at Maine. Maine's gratitude level had dropped to 1/10, so he hadn't been imagining things. When they reached their climax, Maine had given him another energy, a total of 9 energy in one day.
"Are you alright?" Maine, seeing him look over, couldn't help but kiss him on the cheek.
Xie Sen nodded honestly, "It feels great, but..." Thinking about modern methods of procreation, he glanced down at his flat chest, "How do females get pregnant here?"
"It's possible to get pregnant without a condom, but the female pregnancy rate is very low. Some couples may never have their own children," Maine added, thinking he was worried. "Don't worry, I always use condoms."
Xie Sen found it unbelievable; from the outside, he looked no different from a man!
He said seriously, "You must be careful in the future. Even if the pregnancy rate is low, you can't take risks."
Maine noticed his tension and hugged him tightly, "Okay."
Xie Sen felt extremely embarrassed. No matter how imaginative he was, he would never have imagined that one day he would be worried about an unwanted pregnancy.
The next morning, Maine took Xie Sen to the Gold Medal Hotel. After Xie Sen disappeared, he started the shuttle and returned to the neighborhood. He didn't go back to his apartment but knocked on the door of the apartment next door.
Long Teng was eating meat with gusto when he opened the door. Seeing him, Long Teng's eyes widened in surprise: "Main, what's up?"
Maine organized his thoughts, trying to sound more friendly: "Isn't your father testing you at piloting a spaceship today? I'll go with you; I want to learn. Can you help me?"
Long Teng swallowed his meat, flashing a bright smile: "Of course! I'll be back after breakfast."
Maine's clenched fist loosened slightly: "Okay."
Xie Sen went straight to swipe his work card. He encountered several colleagues along the way, exchanging polite greetings. As they passed each other, one colleague suddenly tapped him on the shoulder, teasingly asking, "Was last night's battle a bit intense?"
Xie Sen was bewildered. The colleagues had already laughed and walked away. On his way back to the office, he encountered several more colleagues, all looking at him with mocking expressions.
Xie Sen couldn't help but wonder, were these people like the ancient matrons who judged a woman's virginity, able to tell at a glance that he'd lost his virginity last night?
"Tsk tsk tsk..." Sun Mao strolled over to him, pointing his index finger at the back of his right neck. "Too flashy, huh? Don't you know how many single guys there are in our department? Feeding them dog food like this."
He turned and touched that spot, his face instantly turning awkward as he remembered the bite Mei Yin had given him when she released him. He couldn't see it in the mirror, and Mei Yin had applied ointment to it last night, so he didn't feel any pain. He'd forgotten for a moment, and today he was wearing a crew neck T-shirt, which conveniently covered it.
He felt awkward for a moment, then relaxed. He and Mei Yin were a couple, not having an affair, so what was there to be afraid of?
He laughed, "Flashy is flashy, it'll just encourage them to date and end their single lives. They'll thank me later!"
Sun Mao laughed and scolded, "You used to be so secretive, saying we misunderstood. Aren't you afraid now?"
Xie Sen snorted, "You were the ones who misunderstood. We weren't even together yet!" As he spoke, he received a work notification, said goodbye to Sun Mao, and waved goodbye.
The morning's work went smoothly. Although there were many teasing glances, there was a silver lining: usually, when the beast owners saw that he was the caretaker, they would always confess their feelings to him. Today, however, they were all quite tactful,
their expressions varying in regret and annoyance, but no one confessed. Xie Sen focused on doing his job, completely ignoring their expressions, as long as they would give him energy back when he healed his contracted beasts. The lack of confessions saved him a lot of rejections, and he even started considering having Maine mark the area every day, especially on weekdays!
At noon, he went to Zones Four and Five as usual. The Giant Leopard Beast had already started its live stream. The contracted beasts weren't dancing; instead, they were playing with their toys. The Giant Tiger Beast stood on a large alloy ball, constantly moving its feet to control the ball's rolling motion, like it was performing acrobatics.
As soon as Xie Sen entered, he saw the huge alloy ball rolling towards him with a giant tiger. His scalp tingled instantly, and he quickly ran to the side, shouting, "Don't let the ball roll over!" If it hit him, he'd be crippled, if not killed.
The viewers in the live stream couldn't help but scream: "Oh my god, streamer, run!"
"Won't something bad happen!"
The giant tiger beast quickly used its paws to paw at the ball, stopping it from moving forward and making it spin in place.
The giant lion beast and the black giant leopard beast roared simultaneously, and two figures, one gold and one black, darted in front of the ball like phantoms, facing the giant tiger beast, and simultaneously stretched out their claws to stop the ball.
The viewers in the live stream were stunned: "That was so cool! That speed was so fast! The speed they showed in the live stream before was just a piece of cake!"
"The rescue was so synchronized. It felt like the streamer wasn't raising them, but they were spoiling the streamer."
"I think so too! The streamer doesn't even have to manage the live stream; they earn money for the streamer."
"Today, I'm still a lemon, so sour, super sour!"
The giant tiger beast jumped off the ball, and the giant lion beast and the giant tiger beast nimbly moved the ball to a corner.
The giant tiger beast ran up to Xie Sen, lowered its head, its tail drooping to the ground, its paws touching Xie Sen's feet, and whispered, "Sorry, Sen, I didn't mean to scare you."
The contracted beasts all rushed over, surrounding Xie Sen and the giant tiger beast.
"Strange, the giant tiger beast is clearly huge, why does it look so pitiful now?"
"It looks like it's being collectively scolded, it's really pitiful."
"'Want to Pet the Big Meow' is sending the streamer a watermelon rain, sob sob, don't be mean to the giant tiger beast, it didn't know you'd suddenly come in!" "
'Cat-Loving President' is sending the streamer a watermelon rain, streamer, don't be mean to it, contracted beasts, don't be mean to it, it's already feeling very guilty!"
Xie Sen, calming his wildly beating heart, heard the gift announcement and suppressed a laugh. He reached out and rubbed the giant tiger's neck, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. I know you didn't mean it." The
giant tiger turned its head and rubbed against his arm, "Ah Sen is so nice," it said, standing up excitedly, "Ah Sen, did you see that? The alloy ball can be played with like I just did, it's super fun!"
Xie Sen smiled, "Yeah, but the ball is heavy, be careful when playing with it."
He looked at the other contracted beasts and smiled, "I'm fine, don't worry, let's go to the middle."
After moving to the middle, the contracted beasts surrounded him, chatting casually. Xie Sen asked them if they wanted anything else, but they all said they didn't want to buy anything.
All the contracted beasts were looking forward to their new home, a building they had helped design themselves, all according to their preferences. They were focused on moving and had no demands for their current home, just waiting for it to be completed.
Xie Sen chuckled, "It'll take another month to build. If you need anything, just let me know. We can move in later too."
The contracted beasts shook their heads. The giant tiger beast said, "It's fine now. The ball is fun, and dancing is fun too."
The black giant leopard beast said, "It's only a month, right? I have plenty of patience!"
Little Spot rubbed against it, "It's good to be with your brother."
The giant armored beast whispered, "It's already very good."
The contracted beasts all expressed their satisfaction. Xie Sen casually rubbed the paw of a nearby giant lion beast, feeling that intelligent animals were very easy to manage. After confirming that everything was alright, he stayed for a while and then left.
After work, Xie Sen went straight to the parking lot. He was stunned when he saw Maine. Maine's clothes were wrinkled, his sleeves were casually rolled up to his elbows, and his hair was wet with sweat and slightly messy, as if he had done some hard labor.
"You went into the forest?" he asked in surprise.
Since establishing the company, Maine had spent most of his time designing software and hadn't gone into the forest to hunt like before.
"No," the two of them settled into the shuttle. Maine set the route back to the apartment, started the shuttle, and said, "I'm going to Long Teng's house with him to learn how to fly a spaceship from Uncle Long."
Xie Sen looked at him in surprise: "Fly a spaceship?"
Maine nodded: "We're going to a small planet, and maybe other planets in the future. Learning how to fly a spaceship will be safer."
Xie Sen thought it made a lot of sense: "Why don't I learn too?"
Maine thought for a moment: "You can learn the basic operations, just like flying a shuttle. When the spaceship deviates from its course, you can change direction or stop."
It sounded simple. Xie Sen pointed to his sweat-dampened hair: "What did you learn?"
Maine: "Basic operations and the main power structure, so that I can find the problem immediately and solve it in case of a malfunction." Xie Sen
exclaimed: "That must take a long time, right?"
Maine said: "Uncle Long taught very clearly. It's all practical knowledge. I've taken mechanical engineering courses, so it's not difficult to learn. The route design will take more time, but that's enough for me to learn."
Xie Sen praised: "You're really amazing." He thought that Maine's IQ must be super high.
A smile played on Maine's lips as he drove to the parking lot. Maine escorted Shessen to his apartment, standing at the door without going in. "I need to practice a bit more. Eat by yourself, and don't go out tonight. Contact me if
you need anything." Shessen was taken aback, then couldn't help but frown. "You should have told me beforehand if you needed anything. I can come back by myself. You're making me feel... like I'm some useless piece of trash who needs your constant protection."
Maine's expression instantly changed, and he grabbed her arm. "You're not! Don't say that!"
Shessen slapped his hand away and took a step back. "If you didn't think that way, if you trusted my abilities, would you be so cautious? You don't even believe I can get home safely from work!"
He took a deep breath. "I know, about Rilo, about Soria..." "I'll agree to pick me up and drop me off from work if it makes you uneasy, but only if it doesn't interfere with your work or plans."
Maine's expression became uneasy. He stepped forward and hugged him, saying urgently, "It won't interfere, not at all. It's not seeing you that will bother me. This is dinner break, I want to see you, I don't doubt you."
Xie Sen pushed him away, but Maine didn't let go, only loosened his grip slightly. Xie Sen looked up at him: "Really?"
Maine nodded, kissing his forehead and cheek: "Yes, I know you're very capable. I don't doubt your abilities. I like to pick you up and drop you off from work so I can delay our separation and see you sooner."
Xie Sen felt a surge of emotion. He had always thought Maine insisted on picking him up and dropping him off only because she was worried about his safety.
He reached out and hugged Maine: "I'm sorry, I was too excited just now."
Maine buried her head in his neck: "Xie Sen, I was very scared just now. I was scared when you angrily slapped my arm away."
Xie Sen hugged him even tighter. No one knew better than him how strong Maine was, and no one knew better than him how vulnerable Maine was.
Maine could ruthlessly and expressionlessly eliminate Rilo, yet he would also be filled with trepidation at the slightest gesture from Rilo.
Maine continued, "If I do something you don't like, you must tell me. Don't let all your grievances accumulate and then condemn me."
"Yes, I will tell you," Shesen said. "As long as you don't kill indiscriminately, even if you do something I don't like, I'll only be angry for a while, I won't condemn you." Maine
thought that Rilo's matter had still frightened him, and he promised, "I won't kill indiscriminately."
Shesen released him: "Didn't you say it was dinner break? Do you want to eat together before you go?"
Maine shook his head: "It takes time to make dinner. I'll buy food on the way and come back early tonight. You can make whatever you like."
Shesen thought it made sense and didn't try to persuade him further. The two exchanged a lingering kiss, and Maine lightly brushed his lips with his finger, his voice slightly hoarse: "I'm leaving."
After Maine left, Shesen closed the door, took a piece of meat and a melon rind to the kitchen to make boiled meat. Tuantuan flew in from outside the window, drooling over the melon rind in his hand.
He smiled. "Wait a minute, I'll cook the meat and get you a piece."
He prepared the meat, put it in a small clay pot with the melon rind, turned on the stove, set the timer, and then took a palm-sized piece of melon rind from the refrigerator, walked to the living room, and placed it on the coffee table. "Eat up."
Tuantuan chirped happily, jumped onto the melon rind, and pecked at it.
Xie Sen glanced at it, smiled, opened his bracelet, and entered the live stream room. The contracted beasts were lazily lying together watching TV.
"Can they really understand it?"
"Why am I watching TV in the contracted beasts' live stream room?"
"Judging from their reactions, I think they understand it."
"Hahaha, their reactions are so funny! Just now, two people on TV were fighting and rolling on the ground. Little Spot raised its paw to cover its eyes, and the other contracted beasts' eyelids drooped. They were obviously disgusted!"
"Yeah, and when people are swearing on TV, their eyes are even more bright. They even raise their necks from their paws, looking very interested."
"Hahaha, are they trying to learn how to swear?"
Xie Sen chuckled as he watched the comments section, thinking that the contracted beasts were probably used to fighting anyone who disagreed, and found verbal battles novel.
"Knock knock knock..." Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door. Xie Sen was startled, not expecting who it could be. He opened the door and saw the person outside, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Lieutenant General Keith?"
Meyer was dressed in a black three-piece suit and sunglasses, his expression serious. He glanced at Xie Sen, then looked inside. "Main isn't here?"
"Is there something you need?" Xie Sen didn't answer, but asked cautiously.
Meyer's lips curled into a sharp sneer. He removed his sunglasses, his eyes gleaming. "Of course something's wrong. You and Maine are a couple, aren't you? Well, Maine's fate depends on your choices."
Shesen frowned, the word 'fate' making him uneasy. "I don't understand what you're talking about."
"No," Meyer said sternly, "of course you do. Don't tell me you don't know Maine killed Rilo!"
Shesen's eyes widened, his fist clenched. "It's a misunderstanding. The police have already declared Maine innocent."
"That's because Maine was too cunning, he even fooled me," Meyer said angrily, raising his left hand to reveal his bracelet. "I think you wouldn't mind going inside to talk. Let's sit down and look at the security footage from the Gold Medal parking lot." Shesen
drew a line heavily on his palm, maintaining his composure. "Don't joke around, the footage's been destroyed."
"Yeah, if we hadn't interrogated Saul, I would have thought it was destroyed too, even Soria thought so."
Shesen instinctively asked, "Who's Saul?"
"The hacker who helped Soria disable the surveillance system when he entered the gold medal stadium with the self-destruct device was also the same hacker who helped him destroy the parking lot surveillance... Now, you don't mind if we go inside and talk, do you?"