Chapter 162: Shen Que, Stop Hugging Me
"Xiao Ci, did I do something to upset you? Or is there something I did wrong?"
"Why do we have to sleep in separate rooms? Is it because you don't like me anymore?"
Shen Que held Meng Ci and spoke pitifully.
But at this moment, Meng Ci felt as if Shen Que was a furnace, unbearably hot.
Meng Ci couldn't understand why, being men of the same kind, Shen Que's body temperature could be so high.
Seeing that he couldn't break free, Meng Ci could only temporarily comfort Shen Que.
"No, no."
"Of course I love you, but don't you think it's too hot for us to hug like this?"
Shen Que held Meng Ci quietly for a moment, feeling seriously, then shook his head. "Not hot."
Then Shen Que added solemnly, "The temperature is just right."
Meng Ci was speechless.
Yes, Shen Que indeed didn't feel hot.
After all, his body temperature was high, and Meng Ci's was lower, so Shen Que couldn't feel the heat.
But Meng Ci couldn't take it!
Realizing that reasoning wouldn't work, Meng Ci decided to let it go.
Just sleep, maybe he wouldn't feel anything once he fell asleep.
But unfortunately, after ten minutes,
Meng Ci had no intention of sleeping, and he was even sweating profusely.
"Stop hugging me!" Meng Ci turned over, facing Shen Que, and pushed him hard.
Since talking nicely didn't work, don't blame him for getting angry.
Shen Que didn't listen.
But Meng Ci had already thought of a plan.
"If you keep hugging me, I'll enter the space."
"I've accumulated over twenty hours, so I'll stay in there until it kicks me out automatically."
Hearing this threat, Shen Que immediately released Meng Ci.
Twenty hours without seeing each other, how could Shen Que bear it?
He had to settle for holding hands instead of hugging.
Meng Ci agreed.
Facing away from Shen Que, Meng Ci closed his eyes to sleep.
But the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was off. In the past, Shen Que was clingy, but not like today.
And this overly affectionate behavior didn't match his usually aloof personality.
Could something be wrong?
"What's really going on?" Meng Ci turned over, propping himself up with both hands, trapping Shen Que between his arms.
His mind began to race, wondering if Shen Que had been beaten up during the fight today.
Thinking of this, Meng Ci was about to check Shen Que's condition.
Shen Que actually didn't want to reveal his concerns, but seeing Meng Ci frowning with worry, he finally spoke.
"I'm afraid I can't protect you."
Ever since rescuing Yun Jingcen and the others and seeing their severe injuries, Shen Que had been deeply worried.
One man cannot stand against many, and even a hero cannot withstand a mob.
Shen Que feared that in the future, if they encountered danger, especially a group attack, he might get injured, but he was more afraid that Meng Ci would be harmed.
The thought of those injuries appearing on Meng Ci made Shen Que's heart ache.
Especially when he learned that those people had tried to strip Duan Yan's clothes.
If such humiliation were to happen to Meng Ci, Shen Que felt deep pain just thinking about it.
Therefore, Shen Que was afraid.
That's why he wanted to hold Meng Ci, desperately needing to feel him by his side.
Understanding why Shen Que was afraid and anxious, Meng Ci found a way to comfort him.
Sitting up straight, Meng Ci quickly produced a grenade.
"Do you know what this is? It's a grenade."
"If we ever encounter a group attack, we can all die together."
Meng Ci spoke with great enthusiasm, but Shen Que's focus had shifted.
"Didn't you say that this grenade was for me?"
Meng Ci was speechless, put the grenade away, and lay down.
"Dying together also counts as leaving it to you, after all, you would be dead too."
"You have a point." Shen Que nodded at this absurd statement.
But then Meng Ci suddenly thought of something else.
"Shen Que, do you think we might be reborn if we die?"
After all, he was a character in a book; perhaps dying would allow him to leave the story and avoid the apocalypse.
Shen Que clearly thought about this too and suddenly pulled Meng Ci into his arms.
"No, you can't die." Shen Que held Meng Ci tightly, as if trying to meld him into his very bones.
"Okay, I won't die."
Damn, he couldn't even breathe properly.
Meng Ci patted Shen Que's back, waiting until he calmed down, and Shen Que's grip loosened slightly.
Phew!
Meng Ci finally felt better.
Seeing Shen Que's eyes, red from fear, Meng Ci didn't dare struggle and let Shen Que hold him.
It was already past two in the morning, and the temperature had dropped. With the air conditioning on, it wasn't as hot as before.
Thus, Meng Ci quickly fell asleep in Shen Que's arms.
After turning off the light, Shen Que still stared greedily at Meng Ci in the darkness, afraid that he might disappear at any moment.
In fact, Shen Que had always worried about this. What would he do if Meng Ci really disappeared?
But he didn't want Meng Ci to worry, so he buried his concerns deep in his heart.
Now, hearing Meng Ci say that he could leave the novel if he died, Shen Que felt a pang of anxiety.
What if Meng Ci, not wanting to experience the apocalypse, really took his own life?
Or what if Meng Ci was hurt by someone else?
No, he had to keep a constant watch on Meng Ci and never let him out of his sight.
Of course, Shen Que had also decided that if Meng Ci really left, he wouldn't live alone either.
Lack of sleep at night often leads to overthinking.
So, while Shen Que initially only wanted to stare at Meng Ci, his thoughts multiplied.
What if he died and was reborn?
What if, in his new life, he didn't meet the Meng Ci from the book? What would he do then?
...
A series of questions flooded Shen Que's mind, making it even harder for him to fall asleep.
Therefore, when Meng Ci woke up the next day, he saw the fatigue in Shen Que's eyes.
His dark circles rivaled the completed panda Lego set on the bedside table.
"Shen Que, what's wrong?"
Shen Que shook his head, his mood low.
Meng Ci wanted to say more, but Shen Que stopped him.
"I'm fine, just couldn't sleep last night."
Shen Que picked up his phone, checked the time—it was already past eight—and got up to change and wash up before going to cook breakfast.
Meng Ci rolled over in bed, having sweated through the night from being held by Shen Que.
So, he went to the bathroom to take a shower before heading out.
The vegetables he had planted on the 17th floor were all brought here.
Since these seeds were cold-resistant, they had started to turn yellow as the temperature rose.
Thinking about the drought-resistant seeds that had been developed, Meng Ci pulled out all the vegetables.
He kept the edible ones and threw the rest into the septic tank to use as fertilizer.