The Tough Guy Forced To Become The Broodmother - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Mysterious Man Revised

Ignoring Luo Jia’s accusatory glare, Gu Qiyin thoroughly searched him from head to toe, inside and out.

No, it’s not here, he thought.

Once he confirmed Luo Jia wasn’t carrying any dangerous items, Gu Qiyin deactivated his internal threat alert and relaxed his grip.

Luo Jia immediately shoved the man off and scrambled away, putting as much distance as possible between himself and this dangerous individual.

“Crap! Scared the life out of me!” Luo Jia thudded his chest, drenched in cold sweat. His instincts told him this man was not to be trifled with.

Things look bad—time to bail!

Luo Jia turned to run, but his feet were suddenly snagged by something invisible. He tripped, falling flat on his face, and was dragged back toward the man by an unseen force.

“Let me go! You dead pervert!” Luo Jia screamed.

Gu Qiyin narrowed his navy-blue eyes and said in a slow, measured tone, “If you scream again, I’ll kill you.”

Luo Jia’s mouth snapped shut instantly. He forced a flattering smile, his large, beautiful eyes practically screaming: Please let me go!

Gu Qiyin let out a short laugh. “My name is Luo Qing’an. What’s yours, little thing?”

Luo Jia offered a sycophantic grin. “My name is Wang Dudu. Big brother, I can see you’re handsome, brave, and majestic—clearly a good person. I was just passing by, please let me go…”

Gu Qiyin had seen many nobles grovel; this little thing’s flattery was half-hearted at best. Anger still flickered in the depths of his eyes; he clearly wasn’t submissive.

“No.” Gu Qiyin shook his head. “You’ve seen my face. I can’t just let you go.”

Luo Jia looked like a duck being strangled—the sound died in his throat, and tears began to well up.

Suppressing a smile, Gu Qiyin said, “Go inside. Under the white console, there’s a box. Bring it to me.”

Luo Jia tried to bargain: “If I get it for you, will you let me go…?”

Gu Qiyin looked at him with a half-smile. “What makes you think you’re in a position to bargain?”

The tears that had been swirling in Luo Jia’s eyes finally spilled over.

Gu Qiyin said, “Go on, Dudu. Don’t think about running. No matter where you go, I can catch you.”

Luo Jia nodded obediently. “I understand.” In his heart, he was screaming curses at this guy named “Luo Qing’an.”

He scrambled up into the hatch.

The interior of the sphere was cramped, barely enough room for two people. Aside from buttons Luo Jia didn’t recognize and unlit displays, there was nothing else.

The box under the white console…

Luo Jia found it quickly.

He obediently handed the box to Gu Qiyin. Gu Qiyin took it, performed a retinal scan, and the box clicked open. He pulled out a healing reagent and drank it.

The broken ribs and the hidden wounds beneath his clothes began to knit back together slowly.

From the bottom of the box, Gu Qiyin pulled out a tube of nutrient solution and tossed it to Luo Jia. “Here, nutrients.” He opened one for himself and drank it.

Luo Jia followed suit and downed the solution.

Having accepted the man’s food, Luo Jia found the guy slightly less repulsive.

Gu Qiyin caught every shift in his emotions. Where did this little idiot come from? Give him a little sweetness and he drops his guard. Furthermore, the boy didn’t seem to recognize him, despite being human. Looking at the cloak he wore—the material seemed to be Ice Silk from the Zerg race. That stuff wasn’t cheap; only Imperial nobles favored it.

He went through several noble families in his head, but couldn’t match the face. The Wang family lot were too ugly to produce such a pretty child. As for other possibilities, Gu Qiyin dismissed them for now.

Gu Qiyin tested his body; he could move again. He stood up.

Luo Jia jumped in surprise, then glared at him indignantly. “You can walk?!”

Gu Qiyin sighed. “I was heavily injured. Thank you for saving me.” With a flick of his wrist, he produced a pitch-black dagger and handed it to Luo Jia. “I’m not carrying any Star Credits. Take this for self-defense. Consider it an apology for scaring you earlier.”

Luo Jia took the dagger. Suddenly, the man before him seemed quite amiable. He completely forgot about the death threats from moments ago.

Gu Qiyin smiled and turned to walk away. After a moment of hesitation, Luo Jia followed behind him.

Gu Qiyin caught the movement out of the corner of his eye but didn’t stop him. People from the Lost City would be here to investigate soon, and the site would quickly turn into a feeding ground for human hyenas.

Luo Jia stared at the man’s back. It was broad and upright; his stride was steady and powerful. Just looking at his silhouette, he seemed very trustworthy.

The only thing untrustworthy is that he has the face of a fox demon, Luo Jia grumbled internally.

Gu Qiyin stopped suddenly, startling Luo Jia.

Seeing the man’s knowing smile, Luo Jia asked nervously, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Qiyin said, “You certainly have a lot on your mind, don’t you?”

With that, he continued walking. This time, Luo Jia didn’t even dare to complain in his head.

They walked for a long time as the sky darkened and two moons rose. Gu Qiyin led Luo Jia to a water source. He assessed the surroundings—no danger, suitable for rest.

Gu Qiyin said, “We’ll rest here. Go over there and gather some branches.”

Luo Jia nodded and obediently went to pick up wood. As he gathered them, he paused. Wait, why am I being so obedient? He looked back; the annoying guy was busy setting up a makeshift camp.

Luo Jia didn’t say a word and went back to picking up branches. Soon, a fire was crackling.

Gu Qiyin said, “Stay here. Don’t move. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Luo Jia asked quickly, “Where are you going?”

The flash of trust and dependence in his eyes made Gu Qiyin find him somewhat amusing—definitely a child. He said, “I’m going to find our dinner.”

“Oh. Luo Jia asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

Gu Qiyin replied, “Just sit here and wait for me.”

“Okay,” Luo Jia sat down obediently.

So well-behaved. A hint of a smile flickered in Gu Qiyin’s navy-blue eyes. He walked into the depths of the forest.

Watching his figure vanish into the darkness, Luo Jia felt a sudden pang of panic. He touched his chest; he actually felt a sense of reluctance and longing for a guy who had just bullied him.

Is this Stockholm Syndrome?

Luo Jia shook his head, feeding branches into the fire and warning himself not to overthink it.

Soon, the man returned carrying a dead, long-eared mutated beast. Luo Jia’s eyes lit up when he saw him. “You’re back?”

Gu Qiyin nodded with a smile. “Didn’t run off. Good boy.