WebNovels

Chapter 25 - Chapter Twenty Four - Weakness

Xie Sen was stunned by his own thoughts. He also felt that he had a mental illness. How could he have such a strange thought about a man? 

As a same-sex person, shouldn't they compare and envy each other? 

No, he wasn't sick. It was all because the other person was so good-looking! 

"You can't leave my sight now." Maine said, pulling him to the bedside, farther away from the door. 

As soon as he let go, Xie Sen immediately turned around and stretched out his right hand to grab his wrist. If this hand was free, he would definitely go change his pants. 

Thinking of the difference in strength between the two, Xie Sen was afraid that Maine would break free, so he stretched out his left hand and grabbed his arm, holding his hand with both hands. 

He tilted his head to meet Maine's gaze, resolutely refusing to look below his chin. He spoke sincerely, "After I jumped from the building, I've come to terms with it. I'm in a very good mental state, full of sunshine. I'm living a happy life, and I have no suicidal thoughts." 

He tried to explain, "Falling into the water yesterday was an accident. I got a cramp when I got up, and I hadn't planned to take the medicine I just took." 

Maine studied his expression. He let him look at him with his eyes open, unblinking, showing no sign of guilt. 

"What are you going to do with it if you're not going to eat it?" Maine asked. 

Even as Xie Sen was undressing, he'd been trying to come up with an excuse, having already prepared for the question. "I'm wondering if this medicine would work for my contracted beast." 

To make his words more convincing, he quickly said, "My contracted beast is a little different. It's a mimic. Lately, it's been imitating a chili pepper tree, exactly like a plant. This antiseptic is for animals, and I'm not sure if it'll work." 

"Its current appearance is too eye-catching, and the care center is overcrowded, so I took the medicine back." 

Maine nodded his chin towards his hand. "Let go! Why didn't you tell me before?" 

What did he say? Xie Sen pouted. The moment Maine grabbed his hand, he was stunned and panicked. How could he come up with a suitable excuse so quickly? 

He let go of Maine's hand and breathed a sigh of relief when Maine rebuttoned his pajamas. "I'm going back to my room to rest." 

"Wait," Maine called out. "Can you show me your contracted beast? Is the spicy jerky we ate today the same spice as the chili peppers?" 

Xie Sen's heart skipped a beat. If he said yes, how would he explain where the chili peppers came from? 

Maine thought of the chili tree too easily. A mimic beast disguised as a plant would never bear fruit, which was equivalent to admitting that his contracted beast was a chili tree. Since 

the contracted beast was a plant, his previous explanation about the antiseptic didn't make sense again. 

Xie Sen sighed inwardly and rubbed his face. Lying and such were really annoying. 

"Just forget it if it's embarrassing?" Maine was very understanding when he saw him like this. 

Xie Sen smiled and put his hand on his shoulder: "You're so nice, brother. Some things are hard to say. You see them but don't say them out loud. They are hard for everyone to say. Look, you've kept it secret from me twice!" Maine 

's eyes moved slightly. Thinking of the post he had read, he had a vague guess in his heart: "I'm keeping it secret for your own good. You'll know in a few days." 

Xie Sen was puzzled: "Why wait a few days?" He was shocked. Could it be that Maine had silenced someone and the body would be discovered by the police in a few days? 

Maine, completely unaware that Xie Sen suspected him of murder, replied, "All university graduation exams will conclude tomorrow. As usual, the league starts a week later." 

His words, effectively revealing something he'd kept secret, had expected Xie Sen to look at him with a look of sudden realization, but instead, he was met with even greater confusion. 

"What league?" Xie Sen asked, puzzled. 

Maine tilted his head to look at him, remembering when he'd asked his name. He'd assumed Xie Sen was too withdrawn, oblivious to school news, but now it seemed there was a different reason. 

Xie Sen, bewildered by his gaze, asked, "What's wrong?" 

Maine asked, "Have you... forgotten a lot?" 

Xie Sen, realizing this "league" was common knowledge, didn't hide it, nodding, "Yeah, I only remember the big things that happened at home. I don't remember much about school." 

In his previous diary, there was very little mention of school. Even when there was, it was simply replaced with "they," and the content was simply "laughing at me," with no mention of other activities. 

Maine frowned. "Why didn't you tell me? You don't know anything and might be in danger." 

Xie Sen laughed. He'd even said, 'Don't have brothers with other friends,' but he acted like a brother, unable to help but worry about him. 

"Still laughing?" Maine grumbled. 

Xie Sen's smile widened. "I care about you. You treat me like a friend. I'm happy!" 

Maine frowned, removed his hand from his shoulder, stepped back, and leaned against the wardrobe. "Get out." 

Xie Sen stared at his hand, feeling both amused and helpless. How could this man be so childish? "Hey, your attitude is so obvious, isn't it?" 

Maine said, "Don't talk to me anymore." Since he would find other friends, he would eventually leave. He didn't want friends like that. 

Xie Sen was helpless: "You haven't told me what the league is yet?" 

Maine stared at him in silence for a moment, then finally answered: "Every year, about a week after all the university graduation exams in Star City, the Ministry of Education and the military jointly organize a college graduate league. Those who pass the exam are granted permission to leave the city, and the top three will receive generous rewards." 

"Permit to leave the city?" 

"Outside Star City is a wilderness and forest, where wild animals roam rampant. To ensure the safety of citizens, one of the conditions for leaving the city is to obtain a permit." 

"Will you participate?" Xie Sen asked. 

"Yes," Maine nodded. "You go and rest. All the graduates should receive the news tomorrow." 

Xie Sen walked to the door, thought for a moment, and turned back seriously: "Maine, everyone has many friends in their life, some close, some casual. Friends are not the only ones." 

He was about to leave when Maine asked behind him: "Then what is the only one?" 

Xie Sen tilted his head and thought: "Probably a husband and wife... a partner." 

Maine looked at the closed door and sneered. Partner? 

Xie Sen returned to his room, summoned the chili tree, and trained for a bit before showering and going to bed. Thirst woke him in the middle of the night. Rubbing his eyes, he turned on the light. As he put on his shoes, 

he silently reminded himself to eat less spicy dried meat for dinner. Remembering Maine's light sleep, he pushed the door open gently, worried 

about disturbing him. He was startled. He'd expected to grope in the dark, but the living room was bright as day. 

Did he forget to turn off the lights? 

He poured himself a glass of water, drank it, and then turned off the living room light, only to find it was also on in the kitchen. He turned the living room light back 

on, then turned off the kitchen light first, then the living room light. Just as he flipped the switch, a voice barked from Maine's doorway: "What are you doing!" 

His voice was cold and sharp, suddenly appearing in the silent night, startling Xie Sen. Startled, he flipped the switch. With a click, the living room lit up again. 

Xie Sen immediately spotted Maine standing in the doorway, his face sullen, his eyes cold.

"I'm thirsty, I need some water." Maine's words, somewhat resembling the villainous boss in the book, alarmed Xie Sen. "Sorry, did I disturb you?" 

Maine rubbed his brow, his expression softening considerably. "No, I'm thirsty too, I need some water." 

Xie Sen, somewhat perplexed by his previous reaction, smiled. "The spicy dried meat is too strong. Eat less dinner next time. I'm going to bed. Don't forget to turn off the lights later. They were on when I came out." 

Maine glanced at him and nodded. 

Xie Sen returned to his room, feeling uneasy as he thought about Maine's reaction. The blood and wounds on his body only added to his wild thoughts. 

Now that he thought about it, the wounds were thin and long, not artificial, but rather claw-wounded. 

Could it be that Maine had formed a connection with the beast? 

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and thirst returned. He simply got up and went to the living room, where the lights were still on, and even the kitchen light was on. 

Could it be that Maine was hungry in the middle of the night and was cooking in the kitchen? 

Xie Sen walked into the kitchen, but Maine was not there. 

The lights in the living room could be said to have been forgotten to be turned off, but what about the lights in the kitchen? There was no need to go into the kitchen to drink water. 

Xie Sen poured a glass of water and suddenly remembered the first time he lived here. When he woke up in the middle of the night, the lights in the room were also on. 

Thinking about it carefully, when Maine scolded him, he was... turning off the lights. 

Xie Sen suddenly realized that Maine was afraid of the dark! 

For some reason, after knowing Maine's weakness, Xie Sen felt relieved. After drinking the water, he went straight back to his room to sleep and slept until morning. After 

washing up and walking out of the room, he found that the lights in the living room and kitchen had been turned off at some point, and Maine had not yet gotten up. 

Xie Sen was a little amused. Could it be that Maine was afraid that he would know that he was afraid of the dark, so he got up early to turn off the lights? 

He finished breakfast before Maine emerged from the bedroom. He smiled and waved at him, "Good morning, come have breakfast." 

Maine replied calmly. Xie Sen's smile widened as he looked at the Energy 1 indicator in front of him. 

That afternoon, just as Xie Sen finished his meal and was about to take a nap, he received a message from the Ministry of Education. It was a general message: "This year's college graduate league will be held on April 8th. See attached for details." 

Xie Sen opened the attachment and read it carefully. 

The competition lasted two days and one night. The venue was Yuzhu Island, a lakeside island near the city in the wilderness forest. The competition was simple: all participants started from one end of the island, crossed the island to the other end, and were ranked based on the time taken. 

Each participant could abandon the competition at any time. If they encountered danger and decided to give up, the accompanying military personnel would immediately come to their rescue. 

The following note stated: Participants were free to form teams, with a maximum of four people per team. During the competition, they could set obstacles for their opponents as appropriate, but no illegal activities were allowed. 

Finally, there were the rewards. First place: Each team member would receive a contract space point equal to the level of their contracted beast, and a cash reward of 50,000 yuan. 

Second place: Each team member will receive a gold medal maintenance center annual card and a cash reward of 30,000 yuan. 

Third place: Each team member will receive 10 kilograms of Chinese cabbage and a cash reward of 20,000 yuan. 

In addition: All those who pass will receive a permit to leave the city. 

Xie Sen looked at the third place reward and silently swallowed his saliva. He wanted to eat spicy cabbage!

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