Chapter 65
Thank you Miimaas and an anonymous reader for the Ko-fis!
Editor: SimoB
Shi Qing managed to get an officer to take care of him.
He just had to raise his arm to be clothed, and open his mouth to be fed. All he needed to do was to lie down and rest, and this reliable man, Qin Yunsheng, would take care of everything else.
The sight of Professor Shi leaning on the handsome and sharp-featured man beside him while being fed gradually became a common one.
Shi Qing would often put a bed desk on the bed and hunker down with his laptop.
The pet.i.te and delicate Marquis would read the page, and then overbearingly ask the officer to turn the page for him.
You might be asking why he didn’t turn the page himself. Well, couldn’t you see his hand was hurt?
The officer felt that it was his fault that Shi Qing was injured, so he tolerated many of the young Marquis’ requests. In any case, it was just turning a page.
When Qin Yunsheng took a few casual glances, the pages seemed to be crammed with various technical terminology.
He confirmed that he couldn’t understand a word.
Although he was ordered to protect Shi Qing, he had already determined by his second day here that this Marquis, who was supposedly involved in Research C, was a complete fraud. He carried out what was required of him, but he was no longer too vigilant.
Now that he knew Shi Qing really had the ability, Qin Yunsheng almost immediately became wary. He would carefully observe their surroundings when they went outside, so as to nip all dangers in the bud.
For Qin Yunsheng, such a task was relatively easy. He had been in the army for so long and had partic.i.p.ated in all kinds of dangerous and cla.s.sified missions. What was protecting a young Marquire in the relatively safe Inst.i.tute compared to that?
However, in this mission, the biggest obstacle was the very Marquis he was supposed to protect.
–Clink!
The sound of something metal rattling against the door could be heard outside. The officer who was quietly feeding Shi Qing tensed up.
A pair of fierce eyes suddenly looked in the direction of the door. His free hand quickly reached for the gun at his waist. Without looking away, he slowly rose to his feet.
The young Marquis didn’t even notice the tense atmosphere. He was still looking at the doc.u.ments while enjoying his meal when, suddenly, the person feeding him ran away. He looked up, clearly dissatisfied.
“What are you doing? Keep feeding me.”
Qin Yunsheng knit his eyebrows and slowly drew his gun. He carefully positioned himself in front of Shi Qing, and his deep voice carried a heavy weight when he spoke.
“There’s someone out there.”
“So what? This is near the break room. It would be stranger if there wasn’t anyone around.”
The young Marquis, who obviously had hands but refused to use them, pouted. “Hurry up and feed me, I’m starving today.”
It was rare for him to ask so nicely, but unfortunately the officer was completely unmoved.
He made a shushing gesture and remained between Shi Qing and the door with a serious expression. His eyes were glued to the doork.n.o.b.
Shi Qing was not the first charge Qin Yunsheng had taken on.
Before this, he had been ordered to protect many different people.
Criminals, power-hungry tyrants, merchants…
By no means was his protection absolute. No amount of effort could keep a person safe when their enemies even wished for their death in their dreams.
Therefore, when faced with this metallic sound, even though there was a 90% chance that it didn’t mean anything, the handsome officer had to give 200% due vigilance to the remaining 10%.
He was still staring in the direction of the doork.n.o.b when he suddenly felt the hem of his coat being tugged on from behind.
Qin Yunsheng did not turn around and said somewhat helplessly, “I’m sorry Professor Shi, could you hold on for a moment?”
Shi Qing’s voice was lazy: “Turn around.”
Qin Yunsheng: “Professor Shi, I know you don’t have the ability to sense danger, but this kind of thing is no joke.”
The young Marquis behind him still sounded nonchalant. “Qin Yunsheng, I told you to turn around.”
The officer felt helpless.
He had already somewhat changed his mind about Shi Qing, but he still didn’t know how to handle this arrogant Marquis who grew up carefree sometimes.
Qin Yunsheng turned quickly.
His intention was to turn back again a second later, but he paused after seeing the image on the computer screen Shi Qing pushed towards him.
It was apparently surveillance footage showing a teenager in a white lab coat lingering at the door with a round metal object in his hand.
It was Tan Mingyi.
He stretched out his hand hesitantly towards the door like he wanted to knock, but for some reason he lowered his hand again a few seconds later.
Then, Tan Mingyi’s hands fumbled anxiously with the steel ball in his hand.
Apparently, the clattering sound that Qin Yunsheng heard was from the other party rotating the ball.
Qin Yunsheng: “……”
He silently put the gun away and picked up the bowl and spoon, sitting on the edge of the bed.
It was only when he sat back down obediently that Shi Qing was satisfied. With difficulty, he pulled the laptop back and leaned back with his chin up.
“Hurry up and feed me.”
The officer scooped up some rice with the spoon and pa.s.sed it to the other person’s ruby red lips.
Seeing the young Marquis enjoy being fed, Qin Yunsheng asked, “Why can you see the surveillance from the door on your laptop?”
He had familiarized himself with the situation in the Science and Technology Inst.i.tute when he had first arrived. Technically speaking, the surveillance footage should’ve only been visible from the control room.
Shi Qing: “I hacked into the system.”
Qin Yunsheng: “…You hacked into the surveillance system of the Science and Technology Inst.i.tute?”
Even if he wasn’t a genius, he knew that the Inst.i.tute’s system was definitely not something that could be casually hacked into.
It wasn’t just a question of legality, but of the level of skill necessary to do such a thing.
The young Marquis didn’t feel that he was breaking the law at all. He snorted and finished chewing before he said, “What? Can I not?”
Qin Yunsheng: “It’s against the law.”
Shi Qing: “It’s only against the law if I get caught, and I won’t get caught if you don’t tell anyone.”
Then he raised his eyebrows at the man sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Let me remind you that you’re my accomplice now. If you don’t keep your mouth shut, you’re the one who’ll suffer. I have my father to protect me, after all.”
If Shi Qing had approached this in a nicer way, Qin Yunsheng would definitely have been more accommodating.
But this petulant and arrogant young Marquis just had to threaten him.
The officer gently placed the spoon in the bowl and used his now free hand to gently squeeze the proud-looking Shi Qing’s arm.
The beautiful young Marquis, whose face just a moment ago was like “Laozi is the most powerful and bada.s.s second generation haha” immediately paled. There was quite some panic in his eyes as he stared at Qin Yunsheng’s hand.
“What do you think you’re doing!?”
Shi Qing was obviously scared, but he insisted on maintaining his n.o.ble stature and strictly admonished him.
“I didn’t give you permission to touch me, so let go!”
Qin Yunsheng turned a deaf ear to his charge’s complaints. He even moved his hand upwards, feeling the soft and tender skin and pressing on it lightly with his index finger.
He used very little force and pressure, but there was a clear red mark on the previously flawless skin when he pulled away.
Those who didn’t know any better might’ve thought that he had misjudged his strength.
But only the officer himself knew that every touch of his was calculated to scare Shi Qing without really hurting the delicate man.
“Qin Yunsheng! How dare you!”
The young Marquis didn’t realize that the officer was deliberately teasing him. He was like a cat whose tail had been trodded on, angry and unwilling to admit defeat. He grit his teeth and glared at the person sitting on the edge of his bed.
Qin Yunsheng gave a slight smile, as if he had discovered some amusing toy. His hand was still gently holding the other’s arm.
He could clearly feel the other person’s body tremble.
Shi Qing wanted to run away, but he still remembered how poorly that worked out for him last time. Although he continued to run his mouth, his body didn’t dare to move a single inch because he was afraid of hurting himself again.
This was the first time Qin Yunsheng had met someone who was this frightened and able to escape, but who obediently stayed in the palm of his hand.
He originally just wanted to scare Shi Qing a bit, but he was actually becoming a little addicted to this feeling.
But it was better to stop while he still could. If he really offended this Maquis-daren, he would definitely make a nuisance of himself in the future. It was unlikely that Shi Qing would actually do something, due to his proud nature, but why make life harder for himself?
Even if it might not be a big deal, Qin Yunsheng hated dealing with trouble of any kind.
Deciding to stop here, he just held Shi Qing’s soft and fragile arm as he spoke in a deep voice.
“Professor Shi, we’ll have a lot of time to get to know each other in the future. I hope you’ll appreciate my work so that we’ll get along more pleasantly.”
“Pleasant my a.s.s!!!”
The angry young Marquis didn’t dare to move because his arm was still in someone’s hands, but he was angry enough to hit him on the spot.
“Qin Yunsheng, you’d better hurry up and give me an apology, otherwise I will never let you go!”
Qin Yunsheng was still unimpressed.
There was even a shallow smile that made the young Marquis feel like he was being looked down upon.
“I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. Although my mission is to protect you, I am not yours to order around.”
Shi Qing was already angry enough to laugh.
“Is that so?”
He a.s.sumed the stance of a second generation. “You’re not mine to order around? Qin Yunsheng, you are a human, and all humans have fears! If you offend me today, I’ll make sure you’ll regret it!”
His tone was very agitated.
His expression was very angry.
But his words were very chuunibyou.
Looking at such a Shi Qing, although he knew he shouldn’t, Qin Yunsheng almost laughed out loud.
He hadn’t heard such chuunibyou words since he was in high school.
“How dare you laugh!?”
Apparently, the smile on his lips succeeded in further infuriating the Marquis, who was already in a frenzy.
He raised his other arm to strike, but it was quickly intercepted by the handsome officer.
Even in such an unexpected situation, Qin Yunsheng remembered this person’s delicate const.i.tution that was unlike any other. He shifted his approach as he captured Shi Qing’s hand, turning it into a gentle grip on the man’s wrist so he could restrain the other party without causing him any harm.
Now both of Shi Qing’s hands were held by the officer.
As they faced each other, Qin Yunsheng looked down at the young Marquis, who was glaring at him with fire in his eyes and anger on his face.
“I’m sorry Professor Shi. As much as I hate to say it, I really have nothing to fear. If you’re planning to retaliate against me this way, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.”
Shi Qing grit his teeth and raised his foot for a kick.
In order to prevent him from hurting himself further, Qin Yunsheng pushed the man back slightly, using his body to suppress the young Marquis.
Shi Qing’s hands were restrained and his body was suppressed. He was unable to move at all.
Before the young Marquis could become even more furious, someone could be heard speaking outside.
“Xiao Tan? What are you doing at the door?”
Tan Mingyi’s somewhat nervous voice rang out, “I wronged Professor Shi l-last time, so I made a little thing for him as an apology.”
“Then go straight in, ah. You’ve been standing at the door for a while now.”
Tan Mingyi stammered, “I’m a little embarra.s.sed. Maybe Professor Shi is resting now.”
“Don’t worry. It’s so early in the morning, Professor Shi wouldn’t be resting.”
The man said kindly as he knocked on the door. “Professor Shi, are you there? We’re coming in.”
The doork.n.o.b was twisted.
The door opened.
The two in the doorway were stunned by the sight inside.
What they saw was as follows:
Qin Yunsheng was right on top of Shi Qing with his hands gripping his wrists. His entire body was almost pressing on the young Marquis’. The military uniform he always wore meticulously was now wrinkled.
On the other hand, Shi Qing, who was lying on his back on the bed, was blushing, his already fox-like features turned even more captivating with the faint hint of colour to his cheeks.
This posture, this action…
— Clang!
The steel ball in Tang Mingyi’s hand landed on the ground.
“P-P-Professor Shi, you, what are you…”
At first, Qin Yunsheng didn’t understand the reason for the strange expressions on their faces, but he quickly realized why.
The officer turned back to look at his grip on the young Marquis’ hands, and the way they were intimately stuck together on the bed.
Qin Yunsheng: “…”
He jumped off like he had been burned.
Faced with the two men who were looking at him with odd eyes, the usually unflappable officer became fl.u.s.tered. With a slight blush on his rigid face, he stumbled over his explanation.
“It’s not what you think, I-”
A pair of fair and tender arms suddenly circled his neck from behind.
The young Marquis rested his chin on the officer’s shoulder. A smile slowly appeared on his pretty face that was still flushed with red.
“Yes, this is exactly what you’re thinking.”
He slowly reached down to Qin Yunsheng’s side and took hold of his stiffly hanging hand.
He interlocked their ten fingers.
Shi Qing lifted his chin proudly and showed off the hand holding Qin Yunsheng’s. With his moist red lips curving slightly, he announced.
“Qin Yunsheng and I are together.”
Qin Yunsheng: “???”
Qin Yunsheng: “…”
He watched as Shi Qing dismissed the two standing in the doorway.
“Alright, don’t interrupt our make out session anymore. Hurry up and leave.”
Then the young Marquis stood on tiptoe and kissed Qin Yunsheng on the cheek.
“Mua!”
The sound was quite loud.
Qin Yunsheng: “……”
His mind was instantly thrown into disarray.
The officer who’s never been in a relationship or kissed stiffened as his mind went blank.
The two people standing at the door also left in a trance.
Has the world gone crazy or what?
Just a few seconds later, Tan Mingyi ran back and carefully closed the door.
The moment the door closed, Shi Qing loosened his grip on Qin Yunsheng’s hand.
He looked at Qin Yunsheng, who was still in a state of rigor mortis, and proudly waggled his eyebrows. He pinched the officer’s cheek.
“Stop blanking out.”
Like a rusty machine, Qin Yunsheng rotated his neck with difficulty to look at Shi Qing.
“Why did you just say those things?”
The young Marquis looked at him with pride in his pretty eyes.
“Are you scared? I thought you said you’re not afraid of anything, but I think you’re scared now.”
Spinning around, Shi Qing sat lightly back on the bed and made himself comfortable. His tone was filled with schadenfreude.
“From now on, the entire Inst.i.tute will know we’re a couple. Well? Are you happy? Are you surprised?”
Qin Yunsheng: “……”
Please forgive his old-fashioned brain for not being able to comprehend how Shi Qing could so easily use himself as a bargaining chip in a fight with him.
The officer’s heart was still pounding, but he wasn’t sure if it was because of the kiss or the fact that Shi Qing had held his hand.
He swallowed dryly, and there was still a blush on his rigid face. “This is no joke. Get up now and come with me to explain it to them.”
“I’m not going.”
The young Marquis stretched his long legs. “Anyways, you didn’t deny it just now so it’s already too late to turn back. You’ll be my boyfriend from now on. As my boyfriend, you have to pour me water when I’m thirsty and feed me when I’m hungry. If you don’t do as you’re told…hmph!”
Qin Yunsheng: “…What happens then?”
Shi Qing purposely quirked his red lips at him in an odd and mischievous way.
“If you don’t… I’ll kiss you in front of everyone!”