Arc 6: Interstellar Art Soldiers Chapter 5
After all the literary soldiers gathered on the ground floor, the main cabin of the spacecraft slowly closed. The squad leaders then handed them their identity crystal cards that would be used on the ship and led them up the main staircase.
As Tao Yuan ascended to the second floor, he glanced in the direction where Zuo Lei was standing, and their eyes met. Although their eye contact only lasted for a couple of seconds, it sent a shiver through their hearts.
“He was looking at me? It must be, right?”
“You must be dreaming. Clearly, he were looking at me.”
“I think he was looking at me.”
“I’m the most handsome, so he must be looking at me.”
“Bullshit! It’s obviously the Captain who is the most handsome. If he was looking at someone who’s the most handsome, it wouldn’t even be your turn.”
“Well, no matter who he was looking at, I’ve decided to believe that he was looking at me.”
“So, you just decided like that? I’ve decided that he was looking at me.”
“Well, you can decide that way, and I can decide mine. It’s up to each of us.”
While the soldiers were arguing who Tao Yuan was actually looking at, Yi Bin rubbed his chin and glanced at Zuo Lei beside him. In his mind, with his extraordinary observation and vision, the most attractive literary soldier had clearly been looking at their unit. Could it be…
The dormitory area for the literary soldiers is off-limits to other soldiers unless specifically approved. After all the literary soldiers left, the soldiers dispersed and discussed among themselves.
Typically, regular soldiers share a room with five or six people, while team leaders and squad leaders share a room with two people. As the leader of the special operations team and a senior officer with the rank of Major General, Zuo Lei has a small suite.
For the literary soldiers, each room accommodates two people, and the rooms are much smaller compared to the ones in the base. Tao Yuan and Lin Ya, as the team leader and deputy team leader, have slightly larger rooms than others. But inside the room, there are only two single beds, two small wardrobes, a double sofa, and two single desks and chairs. There is no bathroom inside the room, so they have to use the shared toilets and showers.
The literary soldiers each have two suitcases. One is a military suitcase that must be carried when leaving the ship and going to other planets, while the other is a personal suitcase containing their everyday belongings.
Tao Yuan placed the military suitcase in the cabinet and opened the personal suitcase that had already been delivered to the room. Although he had many things already stored in his base dormitory, there were still plenty of items in the suitcase.
Just as Tao Yuan was about to take out those items and arrange them, he suddenly thought that Zuo Lei’s room must be much larger than his own. So he sent a message to Zuo Lei via the communication device, asking if he could store some of his things in his room.
Zuo Lei replied to Tao Yuan’s message quickly, immediately saying yes.
So Tao Yuan only took out a small portion of items that he might need at any time and left them out, then closed the suitcase. He stood up and said to Lin Ya, who was still arranging his own belongings, “I’m going out for a while. If there’s anything important, please message me right away.”
“We just boarded the ship, where are you going?” Lin Ya looked at him with confusion, but then suddenly realized something and said with a teasing tone, “Oh~ I see. Go ahead then, if there’s anything important, I’ll message you immediately.”
During their time at the base, Lin Ya would often come and chat with Tao Yuan whenever he had free time. Although they had only known each other for a short time, they had come to understand each other to some extent. Lin Ya knew that Tao Yuan already had a boyfriend, and they were in the same fleet. Although he didn’t know who he was exactly, he knew he must be on the same ship. So when Tao Yuan mentioned going out, he didn’t initially catch on, but quickly realized that he must be going to see his boyfriend.
Tao Yuan walked out, dragging his suitcase. The corridors on the ship were numerous, but fortunately, there were signs everywhere, so Tao Yuan wouldn’t get lost.
Zuo Lei was worried that Tao Yuan might have trouble finding his way, so he instructed him to wait at a designated location and then took Tao Yuan to his own room. Zuo Lei held the rank of major general, and his room was not within the soldier dormitory area but rather in the high-ranking officers’ quarters. These two areas were in different directions.
Tao Yuan didn’t want their relationship to be discovered right away, so he specifically asked Zuo Lei to guide him through more concealed corridors.
The high-ranking officers’ quarters were already sparsely populated, and the route Zuo Lei took Tao Yuan through was even less frequented by others. As a result, they didn’t encounter anyone along the way. Even if they were captured by surveillance cameras, it wouldn’t be a problem. The soldiers in the surveillance room had regulations in place. Regardless of what they saw, they were not allowed to spread any information. Violating this rule would be a breach of discipline.
Zuo Lei asked Tao Yuan to remember the route so he could find him later, and later, he could always use this route to come here.
Once they arrived at Zuo Lei’s room, Tao Yuan opened his suitcase and put his belongings in the bathroom and wardrobe.
Tao Yuan noticed that Zuo Lei’s bathroom was quite large, and he was surprised to find a bathtub. After arranging his things, he stepped out of the bathroom and said to Zuo Lei, “Can I come here to take a bath in the future? Your bathroom has a bathtub, while the shared bathrooms only have showers, and there are time restrictions for bathing.”
“I’ll set up a fingerprint lock for you, so you can come whenever you want.” Zuo Lei’s room was his private resting area, and although people like Yi Bin occasionally visited his room, the office where he kept a lot of confidential files was off-limits to others.
Tao Yuan sat down beside Zuo Lei and hugged his arm, leaning close to him. He said, “Uncle Zuo Lei, you promised me that you would agree to teach me something.”
“Didn’t I already teach you shooting?” Zuo Lei tilted his head and looked at him. He didn’t dislike this intimate gesture from Tao Yuan. Innstead, he felt an unexpected flutter in his heart.
“When I mentioned letting you teach me, I wasn’t referring to shooting practice. Shooting was just something I wanted you to teach me temporarily,” Tao Yuan replied, looking at him.
“What is it that you want me to teach you, then?” Zuo Lei asked.
“My ex-boyfriend, he complained that I lacked experience and said that since we hadn’t been intimate, our relationship didn’t count,” Tao Yuan said with a hint of frustration in his eyes. “Before dating him, I had never been in a relationship or engaged in any intimate activities with anyone else. So, of course, I don’t know anything about it.”
“That’s why I want to ask you to teach me, in that area,” Tao Yuan pointed to his own lips and then gestured downward to his abdomen.
“You want me to teach you?” Zuo Lei looked at the areas Tao Yuan pointed to, feeling a sudden heat rising in his body.
“Yes, I’m almost twenty years old now. If people find out that I’m still inexperienced, they’ll make fun of me,” Tao Yuan said matter-of-factly. “You’re my boyfriend now, so it’s your responsibility to teach me these things.”
Tao Yuan stood up and, while talking to Zuo Lei, expressed his frustration about being too picky and still being a virgin. He felt regretful and wanted Zuo Lei to teach him these things. Meanwhile, he took off his military uniform jacket and changed into civilian clothes. He had four sets of literary soldier uniforms, and just in case, he decided to leave this set with Zuo Lei.
Hanging the jacket in the wardrobe, Tao Yuan directly began to take off his pants in front of Zuo Lei. Underneath the jacket, he had other clothes, but inside the pants, there was only a small and tight pair of briefs.
Zuo Lei’s body and mind started to heat up as soon as he saw Tao Yuan’s fair and slender legs. He couldn’t hear what Tao Yuan was saying anymore and involuntarily stood up from the sofa, then walked towards him.
Tao Yuan put on his civilian pants, closed the wardrobe door, and turned around. He noticed that Zuo Lei was standing behind him, with his gaze burning.
Tao Yuan closed his mouth, refraining from saying anything further. He watched as Zuo Lei took a step back, leaning against the wardrobe door.
Zuo Lei looked at Tao Yuan’s face, his gaze fixated on his rosy and tender lips, which looked enticingly delicious. He had been longing to taste them for a while now.
Zuo Lei lifted Tao Yuan’s chin, and Tao Yuan slowly closed his eyes.
Zuo Lei embraced him, gently sucking on his lips before exploring his mouth with his tongue, kissing Tao yuan passionately and domineeringly.
Tao Yuan hooked his arms around Zuo Lei’s neck, tilting his head back to receive his advances. He attempted to respond to the kiss, displaying a hesitant and inexperienced demeanor.
Zuo Lei embraced Tao Yuan and guided him towards the bed. While continuing their passionate kiss, he slid his hand into Tao Yuan’s clothes, caressing his body.
Tao Yuan’s emotions stirred as Zuo Lei touched him, his body yearning to be filled. However, when Zuo Lei began to remove his pants, Tao Yuan grabbed his hand.
“What’s wrong?” Zuo Lei asked, looking at him. “Didn’t you want me to teach you?”
Tao Yuan made a somewhat uncomfortable expression and said, “I… Can you slow down? It feels too fast for me right now.”
“Alright, let’s take it slow,” Zuo Lei reassured him, kissing the corners of his mouth. “I’ll just touch you a little. Relax, I won’t go all the way.”
Tao Yuan let go of Zuo Lei’s hand and relaxed his body, allowing him to continue kissing and touching him.
……
Zuo Lei lived up to his words. Although they didn’t go all the way, his touch and kisses made Tao Yuan’s body go weak, and he experienced release.
After regaining his composure, Tao Yuan got off the bed, re-dressed himself, and then hooked his arm around Zuo Lei’s neck. He tiptoed and planted a kiss on his face before playfully looking at him and saying, “Zuo Lei, it’s been several years since you last dated, how come your skills are still so good?”
Zuo Lei pinched his chin and said, “You haven’t had any previous experiences, and there’s no basis for comparison. How do you know if my skills are considered good?”
“While I may not have a basis for comparison, I know my own feelings the best,” Tao Yuan said, bringing his face closer and whispering softly beneath Zuo Lei’s ear. “No wonder people enjoy doing these things. It’s so pleasurable and fascinating. I realized it a bit late. Uncle Zuo Lei, please teach me more in the future.”
“I’ll teach you even more interesting things in the future,” Zuo Lei said, lifting Tao Yuan by the waist and lightly biting his lips.
“I’m going back now. I’ll come see you tomorrow,” Tao Yuan said, releasing his hand.
“I’ll walk you back,” Zuo Lei offered.
“No need,” Tao Yuan smiled and declined. “It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us together. I don’t want people to know about our relationship for now.”
When Tao Yuan arrived earlier, he deliberately had Zuo Lei lead him through less crowded corridors to minimize the chances of being seen together.
“Why don’t you want people to know? Our relationship is nothing to be ashamed of. What difference does it make if others know?” Zuo Lei questioned.
“You’re considered a male god by many. Even though there aren’t many women or cixing on the ship, I don’t want others to think I’m not worthy of you. I want to wait until I can prove myself and then openly acknowledge our relationship,” Tao Yuan explained.
Zuo Lei couldn’t help but want to kiss Tao Yuan as he looked at his lips.
Tao Yuan evaded his kiss and smiled, saying, “I really should go now. It’s time for the meal in the mess hall. If I’m late for the first meal on the ship, the squad leader will definitely ask.”
Zuo Lei felt reluctant to let him go, but he had no choice but to release him and escort him to the living room door, watching him walk out.
Before closing the door, Tao Yuan looked back at Zuo Lei and smiled.
Zuo Lei gazed at his smile, feeling his heart melting for the first time in his life.
Zuo Lei returned to the bed and lay down. His lingering feelings indicated that he had developed feelings. In the past few years, he hadn’t been in a relationship, not because he still clung to a previous love or had reservations about dating. He simply wanted things to happen naturally and didn’t want to actively seek out a romantic partner.
He didn’t expect to develop feelings for Tao Yuan so quickly, but he felt that since his heart had already been moved, he must continue to develop this relationship.
Lin Ya was sitting on the sofa playing games when Tao Yuan entered. He looked at his face seriously and said, “Tsk tsk, you have such a blissful look on your face. It seems like you’re having a sweet time with your boyfriend.”
Tao Yuan walked to the wardrobe, opened the door, and looked at himself in the mirror. He replied, “What do you mean by spring is there in my face? I have a perfectly normal expression. It seems like it’s you, right?”
“I have more experience than you. You can’t hide anything from my eyes,” Lin Ya said.
“I’ve been in two relationships, while you’ve been in three. Aren’t you ashamed saying having one more experience makes a difference.” Tao Yuan replied.
“Having one more experience does count, and it’s not just about the number of times but also the process of those relationships,” Lin Ya said, standing up. “Let’s go, it’s time for dinner. I’ll tell you all about my relationship experiences tonight, and maybe you can learn some valuable lessons from them.”
The two of them left the room and headed to the dining hall.
There was an AN, but I didn’t put it since it wasn’t related to the novel anyway.
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