Save That Miserable Protagonist - Chapter 27

The red wine glasses on the table swayed gently with their movements before finally tipping over. The dark red liquid dripped bit by bit off the edge of the table, silently staining a small patch of the light-colored carpet.

Unfortunately, the two people who currently had eyes only for each other had no time to spare for the carpet.

Pei Tingsong felt hot, feverish all over. This restlessness deepened and spread with every light kiss Lu Xun placed on his skin and the constant movement of his palms. To quell this unfamiliar heat, his body began to uncontrollably release crystal-clear droplets of sweat.

In an instant, Pei Tingsong felt as though his entire being was submerged in water.

His hair at the temples was damp, and physiological tears began to spill from his eyes. His vision blurred, and everything in front of him seemed to spin. The crystal chandelier above appeared to be dancing, its warm yellow halo rippling outward in circles.

He felt like a small boat drifting on the vast ocean, soft, powerless, and entirely dependent on Lu Xun’s movements, sinking into every surging wave, large or small.

Another world seemed to be beckoning him. He felt he could neither endure it nor leave it, as if he might drown in the surrounding waves at any second. His vision flickered between darkness and brilliance. The overhead light seemed to black out for a moment, only to return as a shimmering rainbow of starlight.

Through the hazy mist, Pei Tingsong felt as though he had died and come back to life several times.

Reaching out to brush away the sweat-soaked strands of hair from his forehead, Lu Xun panted slightly. He looked down with a smile at Pei Tingsong, whose eyes were misty and unfocused. Leaning down with movements full of love and tenderness, Lu Xun gently kissed away the tears at the corners of Pei Tingsong’s eyes.

Those tears were like pearls.

“So well-behaved, my treasure.”

A Sudden Departure

The next morning, before the dawn broke and while the city was still deep in sleep, Pei Tingsong felt a disturbance. He was lifted up, blanket and all, by Lu Xun.

“Mm, Lu Xun,” Pei Tingsong was too sleepy to open his eyes. His voice was thick and raspy with dissatisfaction at being disturbed. “Are you not finished yet? I do not want to continue!”

As he spoke, he kept his eyes closed and tried to lie back down. Seeing this, Lu Xun let out a low laugh and kissed the mole at the corner of Pei Tingsong’s mouth. His voice was incredibly soft and coaxing. “We are not doing that. Wake up quickly; we are leaving.”

“Leaving? To where?”

Pei Tingsong’s mind was still a muddle, but he obediently raised his arms to let Lu Xun pull a sweater over him.

“To see the aurora.”

Yes, the aurora borealis.

A few hours prior, after their playfulness had ended, Lu Xun had pulled Pei Tingsong into his arms to watch a random documentary. On the screen, the Iceland auroras flowed like a green galaxy through the silent night sky, radiating a mesmerizing pull.

Leaning against Lu Xun’s chest, Pei Tingsong’s eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, yet he was captivated. “The aurora, it looks quite beautiful.” After a pause, he added a mumble, “You cannot see it in Jiangcheng.”

He fell asleep immediately after, and those casual words sounded more like a sleepy mumble. But Lu Xun took them to heart.

Since confirming their relationship, Lu Xun had an impulse to give Pei Tingsong the best of everything in the world. However, his previous experiences in chasing Pei Tingsong taught him that the other man did not care for flashy, superficial gifts. When Lu Xun gathered novelties for him, Pei Tingsong’s reactions were usually lukewarm. He would accept them, but Lu Xun never saw much pleasant surprise.

Lu Xun had felt frustrated at times and even asked Pei Tingsong what he liked, but Pei Tingsong always said he did not have anything special in mind. Until just now, when Pei Tingsong proactively expressed interest in something.

Thus began this chaotic departure. Like a pair of elopers, they brought almost nothing. Master Lu found the earliest flight leaving in a few hours, so he immediately arranged for visas, tickets, and a car. He had someone contact their teachers to ask for leave, then lay back down to hold the sleeping Pei Tingsong for a little longer.

Only when everything was ready did Lu Xun wake him up.

Three hours later, the two were sitting on a flight to Reykjavik. Looking at the shrinking skyline of the city outside the window, Pei Tingsong felt as though he were in a trance. He felt like he had not yet woken up; the turn of events exceeded all his expectations, like a train that had jumped its tracks. A heavy sense of unreality enveloped him.

It was only when they stood on the vast plains of Iceland’s black sand beach, facing the biting sea breeze, that Pei Tingsong finally woke up completely. He tilted his head back to look into the distance. The night sky was a deep, somber ink blue, dotted with bright, sparse stars.

When Lu Xun walked over, this was the scene he saw: Pei Tingsong standing amidst the ice and snow, looking as if he were about to merge into the landscape. Startled, Lu Xun hurried over to wrap a scarf around Pei Tingsong’s neck. They had left in such a hurry that they had no winter gear; even their heavy coats were bought at the airport. Seeing other aurora hunters wrapped in thick layers, Lu Xun worried Pei Tingsong was cold, so he had run off to buy an extra thick scarf.

Carefully adjusting the clothes to ensure no gap for the wind, Lu Xun said with a smile, “Our luck is quite good. I just asked a local, and they said there is a high probability of seeing the aurora tonight.”

Just as Pei Tingsong was about to nod in response, a chorus of gasps erupted nearby.

Looking toward the horizon, a faint green ribbon of light quietly emerged. Soon, that ribbon twisted and spread at an incredible speed, eventually transforming into a grand green curtain covering the entire sky. Green was the main tone, occasionally interspersed with light pinks and purples. The light shifted and danced, vast, mysterious, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Pei Tingsong watched, completely silenced by the shock of nature’s miracle. He could feel Lu Xun tightly holding his hand, warm and strong. At the moment the magnificent aurora reached its peak, Pei Tingsong turned to look at Lu Xun, only to find Lu Xun already smiling at him.

Lu Xun’s eyes reflected the flowing aurora, shining brightly. His lips were curled up in an unshielded, proud, and tender smile. Pei Tingsong looked into his eyes and felt a sudden peace in his heart. He thought to himself that the aurora was indeed as beautiful as he had imagined, just like the way Lu Xun looked at him.

Just as bright.

“He Is My Love”

The next second, as they smiled at each other, two foreign girls carrying Polaroids ran over excitedly.

“That scene was just so beautiful! Linda and I could not resist capturing it for you. Hope you do not mind!” one said, handing over a photo.

Lu Xun quickly took it. “No, not at all. Thank you.”

In the photo, the aurora looked like a dream. Pei Tingsong was looking up at the sky, while Lu Xun was looking at him, his eyes filled with tenderness. It was indeed a beautiful moment.

As he handed the photo to Pei Tingsong, Lu Xun heard the girl’s curious voice, “You two look so happy together! May I ask what your relationship is?”

Lu Xun looked up. The girl was blushing and full of curiosity, but it was a clean curiosity without any malice. Lu Xun turned to look at Pei Tingsong, whose ears were slightly red with embarrassment, but he showed no displeasure at the question.

Reassured by the reaction, Lu Xun turned back to the girl and answered naturally with a voice full of treasure, “He is my love.”

The two girls gasped and cheered, showering them with blessings. Amidst the happy words, Lu Xun looked at Pei Tingsong and smiled.

In that moment of eye contact, the System, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly flew out. It flapped its wings and looked straight at Lu Xun with its round eyes.

“Core mission completed. System is about to detach.”

Lu Xun looked at the System in shock. It had been away so long he had almost forgotten their unpleasant beginning.

“Host, the main system has detected that the target’s fate has been completely rewritten. I am leaving now.”

Lu Xun paused. After a long moment, he whispered in his mind, “Thank you.” He truly needed to say thank you, both for Pei Tingsong and for himself.

“Host, the rest of the road depends on you. Be well.”

Feeling the connection in his mind vanish completely, Lu Xun remained silent for a while. Then he looked at Pei Tingsong and said jokingly, “Someone told us to be well. They said I should be good to you for a lifetime.”

He leaned in until their foreheads touched and their breaths mingled. “I think they were wrong. I will not just be good to you for this lifetime; I will be good to you in the next life, and the life after that.”

Pei Tingsong said nothing but smiled and hugged him back. The thick clothes could not block the resonance of their heartbeats. Behind them was the magnificent aurora, like a flowing star river or the entire universe. In his arms was Pei Tingsong, those beautiful eyes reflecting his own image. Lu Xun felt as though he already possessed the whole world.

Then, amidst the swaying dreamscape, he gently kissed his world.

Forever.

He swore he would always be good to Pei Tingsong. Let the stars be his witness.