The following day, many soldiers were outside the base, looking up at the spectacle overhead.
Bing Shi was awakened by a loud noise and stepped out of her tent to witness two men engaged in a fierce fight. She glanced down at Kuro, who was roasting sweet potatoes over a campfire.
[Host, Ziek brought you sweet potatoes.]
["Aw, that's so thoughtful of him."]
When Ziek noticed Bing Shi's presence, he abruptly ceased his confrontation with Yi Zen. With a swift motion, he tossed Yi Zen out of the base, then descended to the ground and settled into a fishing chair beside Bing Shi. He felt a bit at a loss for words. "Morning," he greeted.
"Good morning," Bing Shi chuckled at the cute boy in a body of a thirty plus years old man, "Did you sleep well?"
Ziek removed his hoodie, revealing his dark circles and bloodshot eyes. "What do these look like to you?" he quipped, a hint of exhaustion in his voice.
Bing Shi reached out a hand toward the sides of his eyes. "Can I touch you?"
"Hm?" Ziek blinked, a hint of confusion in his eyes, his heart rate slightly elevated, "Go ahead."
He wondered why she was asking for permission like he was a delicate object. Such a mood killer. What was taking her so long to touch him? Hurry. His heart couldn't take it any longer.
Bing Shi's smile carried a sense of helplessness. Extending both hands toward him, she seized the edges of his hoodie and covered his head with it, "Don't show your handsomeness to the world so easily."
Sitting back, she thanked him for the sweet potatoes, "Take a nap. I'll keep watch."
Ah, a false alarm. Ziek's hidden expression hinted at disappointment. The light around him dimmed, and apart from the crackling campfire, silence enveloped the scene. He didn't want to sleep; he wanted to spend every second with Bing Shi.
"You're face blind," he remarked, shaking his head. There was nothing particularly handsome about him, "I look like shit."
Bing Shi gave an exaggerated nod, "The most dashing pile of poo around. Alright, be good and get some beauty sleep," she instructed, her tone soft, "I'll stop speaking to you for an hour in ten...nine... eight... seven... six... five... four...."
"If it'll make you happy," Ziek responded, crossing his arms as he recalled the HQ's warning. He cast his gaze downward and closed his eyes.
"It will...three...two...one," Bing Shi's smile remained, and she stood watch to protect him from any potential disturbances.
However, to her surprise, no disturbances occurred. How far did Ziek throw Yi Zen away?! Her smile changed into a soft laugh, resulting in Ziek's lips curling up.
· · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·
Two hours later...
Yi Zen shot an intense glare at the man sitting beside Bing Shi, radiating an aura that screamed: I will kill him.
Could this guy be the lost boyfriend Bing Shi had mentioned before? Ren Han had been present all along, and the idea of him losing his memories and falling for Bing Shi all over again crossed Yi Zen's mind. "Is that him?"
"No."
"Maybe."
Two conflicting answers overlapped, leaving Yi Zen unsure. Bing Shi said no, while Ren Han said maybe?
Yi Zen's unwillingness was palpable, finding this sudden situation hard to accept. Ren Han, with his erratic behavior, was a wild card – too unpredictable and dangerous for his sister. "Does he know what you look like?" Why couldn't Bing Shi reveal herself to him?
"I do," Ziek responded, his gaze unflinchingly locked on Bing Shi.
Why was Ren Han answering in her stead? Yi Zen's lips tightened into a thin line, "Do you trust him more than me?"
"No. You know it's for your own good," Bing Shi's tone remained composed as she balanced a lopsided potato on her plate, "I promise, I will show myself to you one day."
However, her harmonious mood was disrupted as she saw her potato go flying out of the base. "My potato!" In a heartbeat, Ziek and Yi Zen were out of the base too.
Ziek's possessiveness flared, unease gnawing at him when he saw Bing Shi treating someone else better. He couldn't allow her to show her face to that man. What if Yi Zen developed feelings for her?
'He is too fast. I can't keep up.'
Ziek didn't act mindlessly. He thought about all the consciences of his action, and choose the best path in a matter of seconds.
Meanwhile, Bing Shi was busy skewering another potato over the fire, analyzing the complex situation. She feared the intricacies of Ziek's mind – the very mind she had fallen in love with.
She wanted to share her journey with Xuan Mu through Ziek. But would it be fair toward Ziek, who believed to be a different entity? She knew that no matter what, she'd be unable to love him without seeing Xuan Mu in him.
It meant she had to bring Xuan Mu out of Ziek. But without Ziek's permission, it'd be impossible. Such a dilemma. Why couldn't she accept Xuan Mu and Ziek as a unified soul?
It struck Bing Shi as absurd. She had invested so much effort into making her relationship with Xuan Mu work, and now a stranger was to reap the rewards? To give herself to Ziek as she had given to Xuan Mu felt like a betrayal.
'The bodies Ziek occupied were never part of the world plot. Could he be also a pawn in HQ's grand schemes?'
'What if Ziek is just a great actor, and there's no Xuan Mu inside of him?'
With countless "what-ifs" swirling in Bing Shi's mind, it felt ready to burst.
'Do I have to resort to listening to my heart once more?'
Amidst the chaos of her thoughts, one thing remained undeniable to Bing Shi – that boy was starting to weave his way into her heart. His soul had a knack for brightening her days in Xuan Mu's absence. Yet, she couldn't reciprocate Ziek's emotions until her overly possessive Xuan Mu allowed it.
'My Mr. Jelly, can you embrace him as a part of yourself?'
'If not, I'll forever be yours.'
'What were you thinking?'
'Giving me so much freedom?'
'All for my happiness?'
'It's doing the opposite.'
'It's making me love you even more.'
· · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·
Several months later...
The base had come to interpret the clash between Ziek and Bing Shi as an expression of Bing Shi's frustration, likely stemming from the Fu Qin incident. She barricaded herself within her tent, refusing to go out as she diligently worked on the plans for the prisons.
And then there was Ren Han – Ren Han was Ren Han. No one understood him. It seemed like he couldn't move on from miss Fu Lian. Like clockwork, he would visit the base every few weeks to indulge in his flirtatious pursuits with Fu Lian.
Yi Zen couldn't simply stand aside and felt compelled to safeguard his beloved. Predictably, this intervention led to huge fights between him and Ren Han.
There were instances when Ren Han would triumph over Yi Zen, other times he would be the one who would end up battered and bruised.
The most perplexed one was Yi Zen. Ren Han confused him so much that he didn't know what to think anymore. He felt irritated. What on earth was Ren Han's objective?
With blatant disregard, Ren Han continued to take moves on his pregnant woman! It gave him a lousy reputation of a general who couldn't even force one man to stay away from his woman!