The Gloomy Paper-Man Came to My Door to Pursue His Love - Chapter 9

The castle blazed with brilliant lights, but the seashore remained dark and silent. The sea met the night sky at the horizon, making it impossible to distinguish where the heavens ended and the water began.

Qin Fei had just turned around when he heard heavy footsteps echoing from deep within the marigold path. Every step the newcomer took seemed like a struggle against gravity. Finally, a superior physical silhouette emerged from the gloom, the man nearly breathless.

Qin Fei’s eyes lit up. “Teacher.”

Xi Li radiated an aura of low pressure so intense it almost felt physical. He asked. “What are you trying to do now?”

The Little Prince of the Empire was accustomed to being the center of attention, yet in this main plot, he was forced to revolve around Qin Fei. He thought back to the prologue scenes where he had to smile tenderly at Qin Fei or shyly avoid his gaze, and he felt like hitting his head against a wall.

Unfortunately, he could not even die if he wanted to.

He had been dragged to the beach by the game program. The command in his mind to “Go to the beach to find Qin Fei” had not yet cleared. He was gnashing his teeth in frustration.

Xi Li’s attitude was exceptionally poor, but the dark red fan-shaped brooch saved him. Qin Fei did not hold a grudge against him, nor did he have the time to care. Even though the person who gave him the brooch was standing right in front of him, the node mission in his Quest log remained active.

Qin Fei immediately realized that simply finding the person who sent the brooch was not the key to completing the task.

What was the key?

He looked at Xi Li and noticed that the man was only staring at him, without casting a single glance toward the brooch. The one who sent the brooch was definitely his Paper Lover; the seashell style had already explained everything.

Qin Fei blinked as understanding dawned on him. “Who sent it?” Perhaps the goal was to get that “who” to admit it.

Xi Li said impatiently, “Hey.”

Interrupted in his thoughts, Qin Fei pursed his lips and spoke carefully. “I attended the banquet tonight.”

Xi Li had received the plot information: he was to give Qin Fei a brooch so that Qin Fei could successfully attend the banquet. Having received this data, Xi Li thought he would not have to appear in this part of the main line, but he was still pulled to the beach by Qin Fei.

Xi Li knew that Qin Fei also had tasks. As long as Qin Fei completed his mission, the plot node would end. He suppressed his irritation and asked, “And then?”

Was he unwilling to admit it? Then Qin Fei would have to lead him on until he had no choice but to confess.

Qin Fei took a step back. “Everyone dressed up meticulously, hoping to gain more attention at the banquet. I did the same.”

By opening up some distance, he allowed Xi Li to see his outfit for the day, most importantly the brooch he had deliberately pinned over his heart. Xi Li waited for Qin Fei to continue, only to find Qin Fei watching his expression as if expecting him to say something.

This must be the task. Xi Li said, “You look the best.”

Qin Fei froze slightly and asked softly in confusion, “Hmm?”

Thinking Qin Fei had not heard him clearly, Xi Li turned his face away and repeated crossly, “I said, of all these people, you look the best. You leave them eight hundred galaxies behind. Even an S-class mecha could not catch up to you.”

It was the truth. Qin Fei was the most beautiful; he never denied Qin Fei’s looks.

The howling of the sea breeze seemed to quiet down slightly. The floodlights at the pier looked like a jewel embedded in the night sky. Was this person’s task still not over?

Xi Li glanced at Qin Fei and found him staring quietly. In the next second, Qin Fei suddenly burst into laughter. The floodlights at the pier seemed to lose their color instantly; his smile was the most vivid stroke of the night.

Qin Fei had heard too many elegant words used to praise his beauty, but he had never been complimented quite like this. He tilted his head at Xi Li, finding his Paper Lover quite interesting.

Qin Fei blinked. “Is there more?”

Xi Li took a deep breath and said awkwardly, “Your eyes are a bit deep. I cannot clearly see what bad intentions are hidden inside.”

Qin Fei looked at him, appearing somewhat dissatisfied. To end the main plot, Xi Li could only cooperate to complete the task. He assumed the task was to ask for compliments, much like the prologue task of leaving a positive, deep impression.

Xi Li spoke reluctantly. “But ignoring that, your eyes are actually the most beautiful part of your features. They are large, the corners tilt upward, and they are very bright. Like…” He paused to find a metaphor. “Like a galaxy.”

The beauty of a galaxy was something even he would spare a special glance for while piloting a mecha. Xi Li’s gaze lingered on Qin Fei’s features for a moment before landing on the tip of his nose. “It looks better when it is red than when it is white.”

Qin Fei did not understand. “What?”

Xi Li turned away again, looking entirely uncomfortable. “I mean, you look better when you cry than when you do not.”

When Qin Fei cried, the tip of his nose would turn slightly red. This softened his originally sharp facial lines, making him look even more pitiable and lovely.

Qin Fei found it funny. “You have never seen me cry.”

Realizing he had misspoke, Xi Li stiffened his neck and moved to the next sentence. “Your height is alright. It will do.”

Qin Fei’s height happened to meet the minimum operating height standard for a mecha. In the eyes of the Little Prince, anyone who could not even reach that standard was practically a cripple.

Since he had already said the most awkward things, Xi Li let his gaze drop from Qin Fei’s nose to his full-colored lips. There was nothing to praise about Qin Fei’s mouth. He hated it the most because Qin Fei spoke more beautifully than one could sing, but it was all hypocritical and treacherous.

His gaze dropped further to Qin Fei’s neck. Xi Li’s throat moved as he said, “It is like a swan’s neck.”

The lack of aesthetic comparison made Qin Fei raise his eyebrows. He reached out and placed his hand over the fan-shaped brooch on his left chest before Xi Li’s gaze could drop any further.

Xi Li received the hint. “Your hands are not bad. They are like white jade.”

Having his reminder misunderstood, Qin Fei wore a shallow smile. His fingertips tapped the dark red brooch, making a crisp, faint sound.

Xi Li finally noticed the accessory Qin Fei was wearing tonight. He felt he had praised him enough and said unhappily, “Do I have to praise the clothes too?”

“Hmm?” Qin Fei thought for a moment. “If possible.”

Xi Li took another deep breath, suppressing the fire in his belly. “The clothes are average, but they look okay on you. Is that enough?”

The corners of Qin Fei’s mouth turned up. “No.”

“You!” Xi Li glared at him, looking as if he wanted to devour Qin Fei.

The Paper Lover’s way of complimenting was so unique that Qin Fei found it very enjoyable. “I want to hear more.”

Xi Li stared at Qin Fei furiously, feeling as though he were being teased. “Are there not enough people praising you? You do not lack my praise, do you?”

Countless people in the entire galaxy praised Qin Fei’s beauty. Any random report about him online would certainly laud his looks, calling him incomparably beautiful, a deity who did not belong to the mortal world, elegant, noble, kind, and possessed of a cold, ethereal temperament. They even said he was better off alone because no one in the galaxy was worthy of him.

That was absolute nonsense. In what way was he, Xi Li, lacking? Why would he not be worthy?

Qin Fei said troubledly, “But what they praise is not what I want to hear. Besides, I do not want their praise.” He looked at his Paper Lover and compromised. “Just one last sentence, alright?”

Qin Fei held up one finger, the very finger Xi Li had just described as being like long, white jade.

Xi Li’s gaze moved past the slender finger and fixed on Qin Fei’s smiling face. He unconsciously lingered for a moment before turning his head away again as if suddenly waking up. “Then how do you want me to praise you?”

Qin Fei looked at Xi Li seriously. “Praise me for being like the wind.”

Xi Li frowned. “I have never heard such a compliment.”

Qin Fei answered naturally, “Because the wind goes wherever it wants to go.”

Xi Li was momentarily stunned. He looked into Qin Fei’s eyes, which were indeed beautiful and shimmering with light, more beautiful than the galaxy he had flown through. He had spent the evening turning his head away and looking back repeatedly. He turned away once more. “If you want to go wherever you want, a mecha can do that too.”

Qin Fei did not give it much thought. Whether it was the wind or a mecha, as long as he could be free, it was fine. “Then praise me for being like a mecha.”

It was too strange; his fiancé was asking for his praise in a game. After spending a while ignoring the weirdness in his heart, Xi Li huffed. “You are like the QUEEN-1 mecha.”

Qin Fei’s hand, which had been fiddling with the brooch, stopped. He raised the tone at the end of his sentence. “The QUEEN-1 mecha?”

Mechas were something Qin Fei needed to understand as a way to open a conversation. He knew about S-class mechas; they were the highest level of armed mechas in the galaxy, with built-in weapons that could easily destroy an asteroid. Coincidentally, his late husband’s most frequently used mecha was the S-1. In that explosion, he had vanished into the vast universe along with his S-1.

However, Qin Fei had never heard of a QUEEN-1 model. The voices of the terminal and Xi Li sounded in Qin Fei’s ears at the same time.

Xi Li said, “A concept mecha.”

The terminal added, “This is a concept mecha built by the military.”

Xi Li continued, “It is light and can fly over any terrain, including the cosmic rifts.”

The terminal explained, “The cracks in the cosmic rifts are bottomless, with an estimated depth of over millions of kilometers. The interior is filled with unknown matter and energy, forming a massive energy vortex. The gravitational field is extremely unstable. Any ship or mecha, even a battleship, would be drawn in by the powerful gravity, falling into endless rotation and distortion. This is the rift terrain I found for you. It is said that your late husband encountered a cosmic rift, causing the mecha to spin at high speed and the temperature to rise until it finally exploded.”

Finally, only Xi Li’s voice remained. “The exterior of the QUEEN-1 was designed by a famous mecha master; it is quite beautiful. Where the wind can go, the QUEEN-1 can go. Where the wind cannot reach, the QUEEN-1 can also go.”

After speaking, Xi Li looked at Qin Fei, only to find him looking uninterested. Xi Li was exasperated. “You asked me to praise you. What is with that expression?”

Qin Fei’s eyes darkened, and he said gloomily, “But concept mechas do not truly exist.”

Xi Li snapped, “Who said that? A prototype has already been built. It is parked in my—”

It was parked in his private mecha hangar. For the sake of this beautiful and delicate guy, his S-1 mecha had to be left out in the elements. But he could not say that. Qin Fei did not know that he was currently a conscious data stream. If he found out, it would certainly cause trouble, especially since this man was in league with the Emperor.

Xi Li paused to catch himself before saying stiffly, “I have finished my praise.”

Qin Fei nodded. That was fine. Even if it was a prototype, at least there was hope for success.

Qin Fei looked at his Paper Lover, and Xi Li stared back at him. The tide was coming in, and the howling of the sea breeze grew louder again.

Xi Li frowned and repeated, “I have finished my praise.”

“Yes,” Qin Fei replied.

Xi Li’s frown deepened. “Are you dissatisfied with what I said?”

“I am very satisfied,” Qin Fei said.

If the late husband had not been mentioned, perhaps he would have been even more satisfied. However, it was the terminal that mentioned the late husband, not his Paper Lover.

Xi Li looked at the rising water level that showed no signs of stopping and suddenly realized something. “What are you doing at the beach?”

Qin Fei did not hide it at all. “Looking for you.”

Xi Li pressed further. “Why were you looking for me?”

Qin Fei finally remembered the node mission. His slender fingers unpinned the dark red brooch. “I wanted to ask you, did you send this?”

Xi Li remained utterly silent.