Min Shu paused, then suddenly realized what he meant, his mouth dropping open.

“Who was staring?”

Why does that make him sound so sleazy?

Accused out of the blue, Min Shu’s cheeks flushed red as he glared at Wei Changchuan.

Wei Changchuan’s face remained expressionless as he tossed the folded clothes onto the bed. He turned his head to look at him and raised an eyebrow. “Did you see?” His gaze was a bit cold, and his tone was quite brusque.

Min Shu flinched, immediately backing down. He didn’t dare glare at him anymore and muttered under his breath, “What do you mean, ‘did I see’… It was an accident.” The man wasn’t wearing anything, and he was standing so close—it was only natural that he’d see it.

Min Shu thought to himself, Why is he blaming me for this? He’d seen it by accident—it wasn’t like he’d been looking there on purpose. The way Wei Changchuan was putting it made him sound like some kind of pervert…

Min Shu grumbled to himself, deciding not to pay Wei Changchuan any mind, and turned to grab a pair of pants.

Wei Changchuan didn’t say anything either; he just picked up another piece of clothing and began folding it. Min Shu rummaged through the wardrobe but couldn’t find a suitable pair of pants, so he turned and said to Wei Changchuan, “Bro, could you lend them your pants?”

Without turning his head, Wei Changchuan replied, “No.”

Min Shu hadn’t expected such a blunt refusal. He paused in surprise and said, “Bro, there aren’t any other suitable pants.” Wei Changchuan set down the folded clothes in his hands and walked into the bedroom as well.

The bedroom wasn’t very big. With the wooden wardrobe placed next to the bed, the space in the middle was quite narrow. Min Shu had no choice but to step aside to let him pass, and was pushed to one side by Wei Changchuan’s long limbs as he watched him pull a pair of black pants out of the wardrobe:

“Won’t these do?”

“No way.” Min Shu peered over and blurted out, “They’re too small. Don’t strangle the poor guy.”

His original intention was that the waist of these pants was too small, and they were slim-fit to boot—the guards probably wouldn’t be able to wear them.

But the moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized that in the current context, they might sound a bit ambiguous. His heart skipped a beat as he looked up at Wei Changchuan.

Sure enough, Wei Changchuan’s expression had changed; the corners of his brows had dropped, and he looked down at him with a slightly cold gaze.   

Min Shu flinched under his stare. Before he could say a word, he heard the man’s sarcastic tone: “Strangle what?”

Min Shu’s face flushed bright red in an instant. Overwhelmed by shame and shock, he was momentarily at a loss for words and simply stared at the man with his mouth agape. Wei Changchuan was truly infuriating—at a time like this, he actually said, “Blushing again.”

His tone was harsh, as if he were gritting his teeth.

Min Shu’s face was so red it looked like it might burst. Unable to outwit Wei Changchuan, he had no choice but to make a run for it: “Move aside, I need to take my clothes out.”

The bedroom was small to begin with, and Wei Changchuan had pinned him into the corner between the wardrobe and the foot of the bed; if the man didn’t move, he simply couldn’t get out. Min Shu waited two seconds, but seeing no sign that he intended to move, he had no choice but to squeeze past him from the front.

But just as he stepped forward, Wei Changchuan suddenly took a step as well, his knee slamming against the wardrobe door with a “thud,” blocking his path.

Min Shu was instantly trapped. He stood no chance against Wei Changchuan’s rock-hard muscles; within moments, Wei had grabbed his shoulders and shoved him into the corner between the wardrobe and the wall, pinning him there.

Wei Changchuan was tall. Leaning against the wardrobe door with his hands in his pockets, he stood towering over him, his shadow completely engulfing Min Shu.

The difference in their physiques was too great. With Wei Changchuan blocking him like this, Min Shu’s confidence immediately wavered. He nervously clutched the hem of his shirt and looked up at Wei Changchuan, feeling a bit intimidated yet unwilling to back down: “What are you doing?”

Wei Changchuan looked down at him and suddenly raised an eyebrow. “What are you up to?”

Min Shu caught his gaze from the shadows; his heart suddenly began to race, but he maintained a calm expression as he replied, “I wasn’t planning on doing anything.”

A narrow corridor separated the bedroom from the living room in the tower, and the soundproofing was excellent; the room was very quiet at that moment.

Min Shu leaned his back against the wardrobe door, watching the man’s chest rise and fall before him, the sound of Wei Changchuan’s slightly heavy breathing in his ears. In the confined space, Wei Changchuan’s body heat seemed to wash over him.

Min Shu’s eyelashes fluttered. He was the first to lose his composure; he pressed his lips together and turned his face away, trying to look elsewhere. But Wei Changchuan simply raised his hand and cupped Min Shu’s face.

Forced to look up, Min Shu’s eyes widened in surprise, his mouth forming an ‘O’ of astonishment. Wei Changchuan clamped his fingers around Min Shu’s jaw, his fingertips slowly rubbing the skin there:

“You like it that much?” His gaze was dark, his tone slightly mischievous. “What’s on your mind all day long?” There was a hint of reproach in his voice, as if he were scolding him.

Min Shu’s face flushed instantly. He suddenly felt as if he’d turned into a child caught doing something wrong, his budding feelings laid bare, deepening his shame. In his embarrassment and frustration, Min Shu suddenly felt a surge of anger welling up inside him:

“Can’t I just think about it?” Min Shu looked up at the man and said, sounding a little petulant, “It’s not like we’re actually going to do it.”

Wei Changchuan was still holding her face in his hands, and as she spoke, the tip of her pink tongue flickered in and out of view. Wei Changchuan fell silent for a moment.

Only after the defiant words had left his mouth did Min Shu realize they were inappropriate. Wei Changchuan was holding back on this matter too, and he was doing it for Min Shu’s own safety. He shouldn’t have used it to provoke Wei Changchuan.

Min Shu thought this over, opened his mouth to speak, then quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, bro. Just pretend I didn’t say anything—uh!”

The hand gripping his cheek suddenly tightened, and Min Shu instinctively furrowed his brow. The next moment, he heard Wei Changchuan command him, “Don’t move.”

Min Shu froze, unsure what he meant. He looked up at Wei Changchuan, but before he could make out the man’s expression, a burning heat descended upon him.

Min Shu’s eyes widened in surprise, then he let out a soft “mmph” as his jaw was lifted and a warm object was forced into his mouth.

“!”

Min Shu’s breathing faltered. His cheeks puffed out slightly as he instinctively tried to push the foreign object out.

But the moment he moved, a hand clamped down on his jaw:

“Don’t move.”

Wei Changchuan withdrew from his mouth, raised his eyes, his gaze sharp: “I’ll move. You stay still.”

Min Shu’s mouth hung open stiffly, his cheeks flushed crimson. He seemed unable to process what had just happened to him, his rosy lips slightly parted. Wei Changchuan looked at him, then closed his eyes and leaned in again.

Min Shu held his breath, his eyelashes fluttering slightly as he closed his eyes.

Wei Changchuan tightened his grip on Min Shu’s chin. His jaw couldn’t move an inch; he could only submit to the man’s actions. Contrary to the force of his hands, Wei Changchuan’s movements weren’t rough—they were even gentle—but they were prolonged.

Wei Changchuan pressed him against the cabinet, his burning body pressed against his own, his chest rising and falling with slightly heavy breaths as he kissed him carefully and slowly.

Min Shu felt as if he were being devoured.

The air was being stolen from him, and as time passed, Min Shu gradually felt suffocated. He couldn’t help but reach out and slap the man’s taut arm,

“Hah… cough cough—”

The moment he was released, Min Shu immediately began coughing. He gasped for several breaths but couldn’t catch his breath; his throat moved up and down as he swallowed, and he felt a slight soreness at the base of his tongue.

“Bro… you, how could you—”

Leaning against the cabinet, Min Shu looked at Wei Changchuan with a touch of astonishment.

Wei Changchuan’s hand was still gripping his hip. He lowered his eyes and stared intently at him, then leaned down to kiss his lips: “Hmm?”

That “mm” was too much. Min Shu felt as if a low, husky male voice had tickled the tips of his ears, and a shiver instantly ran through his entire body. Wei Changchuan was pressed so close to him that there was barely any space between them; Min Shu had nowhere to hide and could clearly see the intense, unyielding lust in the man’s eyes and brows.

Wei… How did Wei Changchuan suddenly become so lecherous?

He felt he couldn’t quite handle this version of Wei Changchuan. The man kept pecking at the corner of his lips, pressing him against the wardrobe, his arms holding him so tightly they felt like stone:

“Is this not enough?” He kissed the young man’s earlobe, his tone laced with mockery. “Do you want something else?”

Min Shu’s mind exploded with a loud ‘boom.’ His face flushed crimson; he was like an animal with a gun pointed at it, completely unable to react.

Fortunately, Wei Changchuan seemed to realize he’d reached his limit. He stopped saying those teasing words, simply holding him tightly, resting his forehead against his shoulder, and silently calming himself.

Min Shu was a bit dazed, letting himself be held obediently. After a moment, Wei Changchuan released him. Then, the bedroom door slammed shut, and the room fell silent.

Min Shu stood with his back against the wall, feeling a bit weak in his lower back. It took him a while to recover. That was… that was way too intense!

Min Shu’s mouth hung open. He raised his hand to rub his jaw, which was a little sore from keeping his mouth open for so long, then touched the corner of his mouth. He wasn’t injured, but it was just so *deep*…

His cheeks were flushed… This… this was even more thrilling than anything he’d seen in adult movies… He really couldn’t take it anymore.

Listening to his heart pounding, Min Shu couldn’t help but wrap his arms around himself. The faint stirrings of desire in his heart had been ruthlessly crushed by Wei Changchuan, and now he didn’t dare to think about it even a little bit.

After crouching in front of the wardrobe for quite a while, Min Shu finally felt his heart rate slow down. He took a deep breath, stood up from the floor, and walked over to open the bedroom door.

But when he placed his hand on the doorknob, he couldn’t turn it.

Refusing to believe it, he tried again twice, only to discover that Wei Changchuan had locked him inside the bedroom.

Min Shu: …?? What on earth is going on?

“Bro…?” He walked to the doorway and raised his voice. “Bro? Why are you locking me in here?”

There was no response from outside. Min Shu waited a moment, paced around the bedroom a few times, then couldn’t help but walk up and knock on the door:

“Bro? Bro! Bro—”

Just then, footsteps sounded, and the door suddenly swung open. He lost his balance and stumbled forward. A pair of hands caught him.

Min Shu looked up and saw Wei Changchuan, who was frowning at him. “You’re so clumsy.”   

“Bro, why did you lock the door?” Min Shu asked.

Wei Changchuan didn’t answer; he just glanced at him and turned to walk out. Seeing this, Min Shu followed him into the living room. Looking up, he saw that several members of the security detail had already put on clothes—shirts and pants that were a bit too small, not the ones Wei Changchuan had been wearing.

However, the men didn’t seem to mind: “Mr. Min, thank you.”

Realizing there were guests in the house and recalling how he’d been tugging at Wei Changchuan’s clothes just moments ago, Min Shu felt a bit embarrassed: “It’s nothing, it’s nothing… No need to thank me.”

The men stood by the fireplace warming themselves. The platinum-haired lieutenant colonel was talking to Wei Changchuan about something. Seeing this, Min Shu said, “I’ll go pour everyone some water.”

He went into the kitchen, poured a few cups of coffee, and as he came back out, he just happened to hear the lieutenant colonel say, “Mr. Wei, we brought sleds, snow gear, and crampons—they’re in the courtyard.”

Listening, Min Shu realized this was glacier-climbing gear. He thought to himself that Wei Changchuan had been in and out of the glacier several times already, wearing only his army boots, and hadn’t seemed to have any trouble.

Wei Changchuan nodded. “Thank you.”

Min Shu walked over and handed them the cups of coffee one by one: “Please have some coffee.”

They took the cups. Two of the guards, who looked like locals, politely thanked her and began sipping their coffee with obvious appreciation. Seeing their demeanor, Min Shu realized they must have been out in the cold for quite some time; they looked a bit pitiful.

“There’s more if you finish.” He couldn’t help but ask, “Would you like something to eat?”

The two guards looked up in surprise. When Min Shu saw the look on their faces, he realized that, at some point, he had switched to speaking Inuktitut.

“Mr. Min, you speak Inuktitut?” The two men were clearly delighted.

Min Shu nodded and said, “I’ve lived here for seven years; I learned it from the townspeople.”   He then smiled and added, “I’ll go get something to eat.” Meanwhile, Wei Changchuan was talking to the platinum-haired lieutenant colonel.

“How are things in the shelter zone?”

The lieutenant colonel’s expression grew serious. “Things are holding up for now. Resources are tight, but we’re managing.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Back in September, we caught some infected individuals trying to sneak in, which caused some chaos, but we’ve handled it.”

Wei Changchuan looked up. “How was it handled?”

The lieutenant colonel paused for a moment before replying, “Two were cremated.” He added, “The others… were killed at sea.” Killed at sea meant they had sunk to the bottom. Wei Changchuan furrowed his brow and said, “Next time, just cremate them all.”

So far, the only known way to deal with the virus is high-temperature incineration. Even if they’re killed, bodies sunk into the sea remain a source of infection. If they ever float to the surface and are carried by ocean currents to the island, it’ll be a real problem.

The lieutenant colonel nodded. “Yes.”

The two looked at each other, falling silent for a moment. As the last uninfected area outside of human bases—the last place where humans could breathe fresh air freely—Greenland actually faced the highest risk of infection.

The polar island had a long coastline and a shortage of manpower. Although the shipping routes were extremely dangerous due to the perpetually frozen ocean, they were still unable to stop stowaways.

A moment of silence fell over the living room. Just then, voices and the sound of laughter drifted in from the direction of the dining room. The lieutenant colonel glanced up, then turned to Wei Changchuan and said:

“Mr. Wei, it seems they’re chatting over there. Let’s go join them.”

Wei Changchuan glanced over and nodded.

As the two walked into the dining hall, they saw Min Shu and two indigenous security guards sitting at a table. In the middle of the table was a plate of greasy egg-stuffed pancakes, and they were chatting quietly in Inuktitut.

Wei Changchuan looked at Min Shu.

He was sitting next to one of the guards, his pale profile lit with a faint smile as he chattered away in a mumble. It wasn’t just the talking—they were sitting so close that their arms were almost touching.

Wei Changchuan slowly narrowed his eyes.

In reality, Min Shu was just asking about the situation in the capital: “So… everyone’s in Nuuk now. Is there enough housing?”

The security guard told him, “The old hotels and inns have been vacated, so there’s still enough room.”

“I see.” Min Shu understood. Although Greenland was a niche destination, many travelers had once come here specifically to see the polar scenery. He had been one of them, though of course there were no tourists now.

As they chatted, a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he asked, “Because of the extreme cold, people in our town have been leaving one by one over the past few years… Is there any way to find out how they’re doing?”

Min Shu hadn’t really expected much, but upon hearing this, the guard actually bent down, pulled out a roster, and flipped through it rapidly until he found something…

He handed the page to Min Shu: “This is a list of people who have moved to the capital from the Northeast over the past three years.”

Min Shu took it with surprise and immediately looked down at it. Sure enough, he saw several familiar names. He couldn’t help but grip the list tightly as he scanned it carefully from top to bottom: the town mayor’s family, Nick who ran a small shop, and the sisters Su and Annie who lived halfway up the mountain—

Min Shu scanned the list one by one and found that the names of more than twenty townspeople and their families were all there. The guard standing beside him said, “If they’re not on this list, they might be on an earlier list.”

Min Shu couldn’t help but breathe a huge sigh of relief. He looked up gratefully and said, “Thank you, thank you so much.” Knowing that most of the townspeople had been properly settled in the capital put his mind at ease. In the turbulent, uncertain apocalypse, this was already rare good news.

Just then, the chair beside him suddenly pulled out, and Wei Changchuan’s voice came from above: “What are you talking about?” Min Shu turned his head; overcome with emotion, he reached out and embraced Wei Changchuan.

Caught off guard, Wei Changchuan found himself fully embraced. He opened his eyes in mild surprise, then after a brief pause, raised his hand and placed it naturally on the young man’s back. “What’s wrong?”

Min Shu buried his face against Wei Changchuan’s chest: “…Everyone’s okay.” His voice was thick with a nasal tone,

Wei Changchuan chuckled softly, running a hand through the young man’s tousled hair and letting him hold him tightly. The slight irritation he’d felt had been replaced by tenderness; the young man certainly knew how to pick the right moment to be affectionate.

As the two embraced, the security detail suddenly fell silent. The platinum-haired lieutenant colonel looked slightly surprised, but politely turned his face away. Although the Inuit people of Greenland were relatively conservative, most were well-educated and had a relatively open-minded attitude; besides, with the apocalypse upon them, no one was likely to make a big deal out of something like this.

Min Shu held Wei Changchuan for over ten seconds before letting go. He lifted his head and wiped the slight redness from the corners of his eyes. The thought that members of the security detail were watching him do such a thing made his cheeks burn a little.

Just then, as luck would have it, the lieutenant colonel turned back and smiled, saying, “You two are really close.”

Min Shu’s face flushed instantly, and he stammered, “I-I’m sorry… I hope you didn’t find that embarrassing…”

Wei Changchuan sat beside him, one hand resting on the back of Min Shu’s chair. His expression was inscrutable, though the corners of his brows were slightly relaxed.

The lieutenant colonel smiled, a fine line appearing at the corner of his eye. “No.” He seemed somewhat wistful. “At a time like this… it’s nice to have a romantic relationship.”

Min Shu didn’t pick up on the hint of sadness in his words; he just felt a bit shy, blushing and not knowing what to say. Wei Changchuan didn’t speak either, his expression softening slightly as he turned his head to look at Min Shu.

Just then, the lieutenant colonel said, “It’s getting late. We should be going.”

Seeing several members of the security detail stand up, Min Shu followed suit and asked in surprise, “Leaving already? Why not stay for dinner?”

The lieutenant colonel turned his head, glanced at Wei Changchuan standing behind Min Shu, then looked away. “No need to trouble yourselves. We still have to rush back to the capital.” 

“But…” Min Shu tried to persuade them to stay, but the lieutenant colonel smiled and waved his hand, clearly having made up his mind.

Min Shu didn’t press the matter further, but he still fetched some scallion pancakes and hot milk tea from the kitchen. He placed the pancakes in a greaseproof paper bag and poured the milk tea into a cup, handing them to the three men.

The three shook his hand in gratitude; two of the Inuit people even gave him warm hugs and said in Inuktitut, “Thank you, Mr. Min.”

“You’re welcome.” Min Shu felt a mix of joy and concern as he said, “Please be careful on your journey.”

They all nodded. Just then, Wei Changchuan pulled him aside: “Clean up the table first.”

“Huh? Oh.” Min Shu found this a bit odd—at home, Wei Changchuan was always the one who washed the bowls—but he obediently turned back to clear the table.

After placing the grease-stained bowls in the sink, Min Shu heard the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other from outside. He suddenly paused and turned his head.

So Wei Changchuan didn’t want him to see the security guards naked.

That made sense—if they had to take their clothes off when they came in, they’d have to take them off when they left, too.

Only then did Min Shu realize that aside from Wei Changchuan’s prejudice against him—thinking he was a pervert—the man seemed to be a little jealous as well.

Realizing this, Min Shu felt a tinge of curiosity. Wei Changchuan had a bad temper and always seemed indifferent to the outside world, so he hadn’t expected him to care about something like this. But since they were dating, it made sense that he would care about such things. So Min Shu lingered in the kitchen a little longer, waiting until the noise outside had died down before stepping out.

In the living room, Wei Changchuan was standing by the door.

Min Shu walked over and saw that the three security guards were already fully dressed and standing outside the door.

The wind and snow outside were gradually picking up. In the darkness of the night, the small lamp under the eaves could only illuminate the three men’s vague outlines.

Through the grayish-white snow mist, Min Shu saw them raise their hands in the swirling snow and wave in the air. He raised his hand and waved back. Amid the dark night and swirling snow, the three seemed to see him; they waved a few more times, then turned and walked slowly into the depths of the snowy plain.