Chapter 62

Yang Kai realized he was subconsciously afraid of Cheng Zhiyu, and his face instantly fell. He didn’t understand why he should be afraid—Cheng Zhiyu had no real skills and relied entirely on his friends.

With that thought, he seemed to regain his confidence and glared at Cheng Zhiyu. "What the hell are you doing?"

Cheng Zhiyu smiled. "Here to deal with you."

Yang Kai almost couldn’t believe his ears. Seeing Cheng Mo beside him, he felt a chill of fear, having witnessed Cheng Mo’s strength.

He wasn’t afraid of Cheng Zhiyu, but Cheng Mo…

Yang Kai quickly came up with an idea and said, "Fighting is forbidden in the base, didn’t you know? However, I can challenge you to a duel. What do you say?"

Cheng Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. "Sure."

Yang Kai immediately added, "Just the two of us. No one else can interfere. If you refuse, it means you’re scared."

To ensure Cheng Zhiyu agreed, he deliberately threw in a taunt.

Cheng Zhiyu had had enough. "Enough talk. Just the two of us it is."

Yang Kai smirked to himself. This Cheng Zhiyu was too arrogant, probably thinking he was strong after always hiding behind Cheng Mo.

Perfect. This was a great opportunity to prove he was far stronger than Cheng Zhiyu. He would wipe the floor with him mercilessly and show all those foolish ordinary people who was truly superior.

Aunt Wang rushed over just in time to hear Cheng Zhiyu and Yang Kai agreeing to a fight. She was surprised—Yang Kai was the one who proposed it. Did he really think he could beat Cheng Zhiyu?

After a moment’s thought, she understood the reason.

When Cheng Zhiyu killed the wild boar leader, Yang Kai was already knocked out and hadn’t witnessed his strength. Hearing that Cheng Zhiyu was a Plant Superhuman, Yang Kai, influenced by stereotypes about plant-based abilities, assumed Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t much of a fighter.

Aunt Wang relaxed, ready to watch Yang Kai make a fool of himself.

The henchmen cheered excitedly: "Go, Brother Yang! Take him down!"

"Make him beg for mercy, haha!"

"Break his legs! Make him kneel before you!"

Cheng Mo narrowed his eyes, and the henchmen suddenly felt as if they’d been slapped, their mouths puffing up right away.

Cheng Mo said, "If you keep talking, it won’t just be swollen mouths."

The henchmen immediately fell silent, tears welling up in their eyes as they looked at Yang Kai, hoping he would avenge them.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai declared, "Let’s begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, he went in for a strike, hoping to seize the initiative and take Cheng Zhiyu down in one blow.

However, before he could even see clearly, Cheng Zhiyu effortlessly slipped past the strike. The next moment, Yang Kai felt a sharp pain in his leg and collapsed to his knees.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to counterattack, but Cheng Zhiyu didn’t give him a chance to stand. A sharp pain shot through his chest, making him feel like vomiting blood.

Yang Kai wanted to cry out in pain, but Cheng Zhiyu gave him no opportunity. He felt himself being grabbed and pummeled like a sandbag, rained blows on him.

"I give—" Yang Kai tried to concede, but his mouth was blocked, rendering him unable to speak. The one-sided beating continued.

He couldn’t understand how he had lost so easily. He was supposed to be strong—how could he not even defeat a Plant Superhuman? It wasn’t just a matter of winning or losing; he couldn’t even fight back!

The henchmen, who had hoped their boss would avenge them, were dumbstruck.

Wait, was that their boss being beaten like a sandbag, howling in pain?

Why did he seem so weak?

One henchman even thought, "I could do better than him."

Yang Kai clenched his teeth, knowing how bad this looked. If this continued, he would lose all respect in the base.

No, he couldn’t let that happen. Mustering every ounce of power, he channeled all his power and launched a desperate all-or-nothing strike at Cheng Zhiyu. If it landed, Cheng Zhiyu would be severely injured, if not killed.

Just as the attack was about to hit, Yang Kai’s face twisted into a grin. "Hahaha, Cheng Zhiyu, I’ll end you!"

But the next moment, his expression turned to horror. Something wrapped around his feet, swiftly whipping him around—right in front of Cheng Zhiyu.

The full force of his attack landed squarely on himself.

Yang Kai let out a blood-curdling scream and blacked out.

Cheng Zhiyu expressionlessly retracted Little Roll. He had only intended to teach Yang Kai a lesson and make him stop harassing Yanyan. He never expected Yang Kai would resort to a lethal move. Now, he’d reaped what he sowed.

Cheng Mo hurried over, pulling Cheng Zhiyu close to check him from head to toe. Only after confirming he wasn’t injured did he sigh in relief. Looking at Yang Kai, who was lying unconscious and bloodied on the ground, he said, "Zhi Yu, you’re too soft."

Yang Kai’s henchmen: "..."

Cheng Zhiyu laughed. He had no idea he was that "kind."

Aunt Wang, watching from the side, immediately said, "From start to finish, Cheng was holding back. It was Yang Kai who couldn’t accept defeat and tried to kill him. He brought this on himself—Cheng’s not at fault."

She said this to defend Cheng Zhiyu, ensuring that even if Yang Kai tried to cause trouble later, no one could fault Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu let Cheng Mo hold his hand and sincerely thanked Aunt Wang. "Thank you."

Aunt Wang waved it off, indicating it was nothing.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s henchmen finally snapped back to reality. Yang Kai had always boasted about how strong he was, yet he was completely outmatched by Cheng Zhiyu.

They had followed Yang Kai because they thought he was powerful, but now they realized how weak he truly was.

The henchmen defected on the spot, turning to Cheng Zhiyu. "Brother Cheng, do you need followers? We’ll follow you!"

Cheng Mo’s face darkened instantly. "Who do you think you are, wanting to be Zhi Yu’s followers?"

The henchmen scratched their heads. "Huh? Does Brother Cheng already have followers?"

Cheng Mo said proudly, "I am his follower."

The henchmen: "..." Someone this powerful was only a follower to Cheng Zhiyu?

They suddenly felt that Cheng Zhiyu was scary powerful.

But since they couldn’t follow Cheng Zhiyu, they turned to Cheng Mo. "Then, do you need followers?"

Cheng Mo: "Get lost."

Cheng Zhiyu looked at Cheng Mo helplessly. "What follower? I don’t see you as a follower."

Cheng Mo said coyly, "Any title that lets me stay close to you is mine."

Cheng Zhiyu's ears grew hot. This guy, Cheng Mo, does he even know what he's saying?

"Brother!" Cheng Zhiyan, having heard the news from somewhere and worried her brother was in trouble, hurriedly brought Tian Qiao and the others along. When they arrived, they saw Yang Kai lying on the ground, covered in blood.

Sun Yu blocked her view, afraid she might be frightened.

Cheng Zhiyu walked over to his sister, ruffled her hair, and said gently, "Yanyan, if anything ever happens in the future, you have to tell me."

Cheng Zhiyan felt her nose sting and nodded, "Mm."

She wiped her tears and said admiringly, "Brother, you're so badass. If I'd known you were this strong, I would've told you earlier. By the way, is Yang Kai dead?"

As she spoke, she tried to sneak a peek past Sun Yu, somewhat worried.

Of course, she wasn’t concerned about Yang Kai—she was just afraid that if he died, it would cause trouble for her brother.

But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t see anything, completely blocked by Sun Yu.

Sun Yu thought Cheng Zhiyan was just a young girl and shouldn’t see such a scene, worried it might leave her with emotional scars.

Cheng Zhiyu reassured her, "He’s not dead."

He explained, "He just brought it upon himself."

Cheng Zhiyan cursed, "Shameless," and felt relieved. As long as it wasn’t her brother’s fault, it was fine.

Yang Kai certainly wasn’t going to die. Injuries that severe would be dangerous for an ordinary person, but for a Superhuman, it was nothing. Superhumans have tough bodies; with a month or two of rest, he’d recover.

Since he was the one who proposed the fight, his severe injuries were entirely his own fault. Even if he wanted to cause trouble for Cheng Zhiyu, he had no leg to stand on.

After this, Yang Kai would probably learn his lesson and not dare to harass Cheng Zhiyan again.

Everyone left, leaving Yang Kai lying on the ground like a dead dog. His henchmen didn't want to deal with him, glancing at each other hesitantly, but eventually resigned themselves to carrying Yang Kai to his bed and cleaning his wounds.

It wasn’t out of brotherhood—they were mainly afraid that if they didn’t help, Yang Kai would hold a grudge when he woke up. Unlike Cheng Zhiyu, they weren’t that strong and were still quite intimidated by Yang Kai.

The base didn’t have a Healer, so they had to rely on basic first aid to treat the injuries. Henchman A ran to find the base’s doctor.

Before the apocalypse, the doctor had a clinic in the village and was quite skilled, able to treat simple ailments like headaches and colds. After the apocalypse, he hadn’t awakened any powers, but with his medical skills, he was doing alright in the base.

However, some people looked down on him for not being a Superhuman. Yang Kai was one of them.

Once, Yang Kai had a blow-up with him, saying some really awful things. The doctor was livid and said, "Don’t ever come to me for treatment again! Even if you’re on your last breath, I won’t lift a finger!"

Yang Kai wasn’t afraid at all. He thought he was untouchable and would never need help, so he retorted, "Who do you think you are? I don’t need you! You’re nothing but a nobody!"

This successfully pissed off the doctor.

So, when Henchman A hurriedly went to find the doctor, the doctor recognized him as one of Yang Kai’s lackeys and immediately frowned. Still, he didn’t take his anger out on him and asked what was wrong.

Henchman A scratched his nose and said, "The boss is injured. Could you come with me?"

The doctor’s expression darkened. "Yang Kai?"

Henchman A nodded.

The doctor sneered and immediately pushed Henchman A out the door. "If he’s so amazing, he can treat himself!"

With that, he slammed the door shut.

Henchman A returned empty-handed and humiliated. When the others learned the doctor refused to treat Yang Kai, the henchmen gathered around the injured Yang Kai, at a loss.

Henchman B asked, "What do we do now?"

Henchman C suggested, "Should we kidnap the doctor and force him to treat Brother Kai?"

Henchman A immediately said, "I don’t dare. If we offend the doctor, I’m afraid my mom would beat me to death when I get home."

Henchman B didn’t dare either.

Henchman C was just all talk—he wasn’t willing to offend someone for Yang Kai’s sake.

Henchman A said, "Let’s handle it ourselves. It should be simple enough."

Henchman C nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, yeah. Brother Kai is tough. He probably won’t die."

So, they got to work. First, they needed to treat the wound on Yang Kai’s chest.

It had to be said, Superhumans really had remarkable recovery abilities. Despite such a severe chest wound, the bleeding had already stopped on its own.

The henchmen fumbled around, trying to remove Yang Kai’s clothes. The fabric was stuck to the wound, making it difficult to take off.

Henchman A gave a hard tug, and the unconscious Yang Kai twitched in pain.

The other two henchmen glanced at him, coughed lightly, and also started pulling at the clothes.

"I’m not trying to get back at Brother Kai, even though he’s always ordering me around and slapping my head until my ears ring," Henchman A said as he tore the fabric from the wound.

Henchman B nodded repeatedly. "Same here. Even though Brother Kai often yells at me with really harsh words, I definitely don’t hold a grudge."

As he spoke, he poured iodine from Yang Kai’s cabinet onto the wound, causing Yang Kai to twitch again.

Henchman C complained, "How can you guys do this?"

Then, he reached out to Henchman B. "Let me give it a go too."

And so, Yang Kai twitched who knows how many times as his henchmen haphazardly bandaged his wounds.

Henchman B rubbed his stomach. "I’m pretty hungry. Let’s go eat. You guys coming?"

"Let’s go, let’s go."

Behind them, Yang Kai lay alone on the messy bed, looking completely abandoned.

——

That evening, after dinner, the Cheng family returned to their respective rooms. Cheng Zhiyu stepped out once and ran into his mother in the yard.

Mrs. Cheng was sitting in the yard, seemingly lost in thought, as if zoning out.

Cheng Zhiyu walked over. "Mom, what are you doing sitting here? Why aren’t you asleep?"

Mrs. Cheng snapped out of it, looked at Cheng Zhiyu, and was hesitant and torn.

Cheng Zhiyu sat beside her and asked again, "Is there something you want to ask?"

Mrs. Cheng hesitated, conflicted. After a long silence, she finally couldn’t hold back and asked, "Zhi Yu, are you and Xiao Mo... a couple?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

Cheng’s mother said to herself: "I've looked into it these past couple days—two men can also date. Are you and Cheng Mo dating?"

"Actually, it’s not a big deal, it’s fine. You two can take care of each other, just no children. But that's okay too; in this world, bringing children into this world just means more suffering. It’s good enough to have someone by your side."

It was clear she had been thinking about this for a while, though it was unclear how she’d convinced herself to accept it.

Cheng Zhiyu said awkwardly, "Mom, he and I aren’t like that."

He did feel somewhat attracted to Cheng Mo, but it seemed like Cheng Mo didn’t understand anything—he was just treating him the way Cheng Zhiyu had treated him before he became human.

Mom asked, "You don’t like boys?"

Cheng Zhiyu didn’t know how to talk about this and lowered his head. "I do like guys."

His mother looked at him with a look that said "I don’t get it." "You like boys, but you’re not dating Cheng Mo? Yet the two of you are all over each other and even sleep in the same room…"

Cheng Zhiyu: "…" It did sound a bit weird…

Cheng’s mother looked at her son like a jerk. After hesitating for a long time, she couldn’t hold back: "Son, Cheng Mo is a good kid. You can’t lead him on like this."

Cheng Zhiyu said helplessly, "Mom, I don’t know how to explain it to you. It’s a bit complicated."

"Don’t give me that 'it’s complicated' nonsense. I think two guys who are just friends wouldn’t hug each other like you two do." Cheng’s mother said something shocking: "Would your dad hug Uncle Tian like that?"

Cheng Zhiyu tried to imagine it and was instantly grossed out.

"Think it over carefully," Cheng’s mother said seriously. "Don’t break Cheng Mo’s heart."

After saying this, she shook her head and went back to her room.

Originally, she had been struggling with the fact that her son was gay, but then she suddenly realized—not only was her son gay, he was also a scumbag.

Now there was no need to struggle; she had to persuade her son to give Cheng Mo some commitment.

What kind of situation is this? Cheng’s mother looked worn out.

As she reached the door of her room, she ran into Cheng’s father, who was about to go out. He said, "I was just coming to look for you. What are you doing outside so late instead of sleeping?"

Cheng’s mother glanced at him and shook her head. "You wouldn’t understand."

Cheng’s father: "?"

Cheng’s mother: "What could you possibly know? You’re clueless."

Cheng’s father: "…"

What’s her problem so late at night?

On the other side, Cheng Zhiyu returned to his room with mixed feelings, looking expressionlessly at Cheng Mo, who was already stripped down and lying naked on the bed.

"Could you put some clothes on?" Cheng Zhiyu felt utterly helpless.

"Doesn’t Zhi Yu like what he sees?" Cheng Mo said matter-of-factly. "Look at you, you can’t take your eyes off me."

Cheng Zhiyu’s ears turned red. He admitted that Cheng Mo’s physique was very attractive to him, but was he really that much of a creep?

He kept a straight face, trying to play it cool.

But then Cheng Mo dragged him into his arms, nuzzling him and complaining, "Zhi Yu, where did you go? You were gone so long. I got sleepy waiting for you."

Cheng Zhiyu tried to scoot forward, trying to avoid having Cheng Mo’s chest press against his back. But as soon as he created a little distance, Cheng Mo pulled him back again, holding him tightly.

Cheng Zhiyu: "I ran into my mom outside and talked for a bit."

"Stop touching me randomly!" Cheng Zhiyu turned bright red.

Cheng Mo withdrew his hand completely unapologetic, explaining, "I wanted to check out your abs. They’re really well-defined."

Not allowed to touch, he instead brought his nose to Cheng Zhiyu’s nape and took a deep breath. "Zhi Yu, you smell so good."

Cheng Zhiyu’s hair stood on end, and he cursed angrily, "Are you a dog? Always sniffing me like that."

"Yes, I’d be anything for Zhi Yu." Cheng Mo shamelessly gently nipped Cheng Zhiyu’s neck.

Cheng Zhiyu tensed up completely, his scalp tingling. He really wanted his mom to know—really, he’s not to blame!

He said weakly, "I need to sleep."

"Oh." Cheng Mo held Cheng Zhiyu tighter. "Mhm, sleep then."

Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t sleep. His leg was being pressed against something, and his whole body felt hot. "You…"

"Zhi Yu, I’m really uncomfortable." Cheng Mo rubbed against him unconsciously.

Cheng Zhiyu let out a breath, trying to calm himself down. "You… let go of me first."

Cheng Mo loosened his grip slightly. "Zhi Yu…"

Cheng Zhiyu glanced down and was shocked. Indeed, beasts and humans were different.

He felt his throat go dry for some reason, averting his eyes as he said flusteredly, "Go handle it yourself in the bathroom."

"How do I take care of it?" Cheng Mo looked confused. He pitifully reached for Cheng Zhiyu’s hand, his heartthrob looks full of pleading. "Zhi Yu, help me."

Cheng Zhiyu lied, "I… I don’t know how to help."

Cheng Mo held his hand, his voice hoarse. "Just help me…"

Cheng Zhiyu really wanted to shake off his hand and yell, "We’re just friends! You’re crossing the line!"

But in reality, his mind had gone blank, and he offered no resistance, letting his hand be held.

With Cheng Mo’s soft sighs in his ear, Cheng Zhiyu felt his heart go numb, as if adrenaline was spiking through him.

The room grew quiet, with only the occasional ambiguous sounds that made his ears burn.

Cheng Zhiyu stared dazedly at Cheng Mo’s expression, his Adam’s apple moving. Damn, his heart was beating so fast.

It wasn’t until it was over that he came back to his senses.

Cheng Mo looked at Cheng Zhiyu, his eyes seeming a bit moist. While Cheng Zhiyu was still stunned, he leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips. "Zhi Yu…"

"You’re hard too." Cheng Mo chuckled lightly. "I’ll take care of you too."

Cheng Zhiyu felt like his whole body was on fire. He said, "No… need."

But then his scalp tingled, and he had no strength to push the other away, allowing himself to be half-resisting, half-yielding…

Cheng Mo didn’t know any fancy techniques; he only repeated the same motions, trying to attend to every part of little Zhi Yu. His calloused fingers scraped against sensitive skin, making Cheng Zhiyu tremble all over.

He buried his face in Cheng Mo's chest and bit down hard, not holding back. Cheng Mo let out a soft hiss...

Outside, the wind picked up, and tree branches swayed gently.

...

After it was over, both of them were soaked with sweat.

Before Cheng Zhiyu had even gathered his wits, Cheng Mo leaned in and kissed him again, taking a deep breath. "Zhi Yu, why are you so fragrant? Seriously, you smell amazing..."

Aah! Cheng Zhiyu pushed Cheng Mo away and hurried into the bathroom.

Cheng Mo, who had knocked his head against the bedframe: "..."

He rubbed his head and complained, "Hey... what was that for?"

He got out of bed like a dejected puppy and walked to the bathroom door, knocking. "Zhi Yu, open the door. Zhi Yu? Cheng Zhiyu? Was I that bad at it? Are you mad?"

Cheng Mo scratched his nose. "This was my first time, you know. If it wasn’t good, I can learn."

In the bathroom, Cheng Zhiyu, now in his post-coital clarity, splashed cold water on his face and felt like he must be going crazy. If things kept going like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up sleeping with Cheng Mo one day.

No, this couldn’t happen again. Next time something like this occurred, he had to put his foot down and refuse!

A moment later, Cheng Zhiyu opened the bathroom door. He thought he had calmed down, but the moment he saw Cheng Mo, his pulse kicked up again.

He said expressionlessly, "Cheng Mo, you need to keep your clothes on from now on."

Cheng Mo, baffled by the sudden scolding: "?"

Was it really because he hadn’t done well? He was inexperienced—was there any need to be so harsh about it?

Cheng Mo sulked and gave Cheng Zhiyu a resentful look.

Under that gaze, Cheng Zhiyu suddenly felt like the worst kind of jerk: "..."

He cleared his throat and softened his tone. "Go wash up."

Just smelling that scent made his whole body heat up.

Cheng Mo: "Okay."

He went into the bathroom and first looked in the mirror, spotted the bite mark on his pectoral muscle. He smiled, walked over to Cheng Zhiyu, and pointed at it. "Cheng Zhiyu, look what you did to me."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

He felt a little guilty.

Cheng Mo grumbled under his breath, "You said you didn’t like looking at me, but see? This bite mark proves it. I think you not only like touching me but also biting me."

Cheng Zhiyu: There was no defending himself now.

Cheng Mo shot him a sidelong glance, cleared his throat, and said, "But I’ll let you touch me, and bite me too. About earlier... if I didn’t do it right, can you not be mad anymore?"