Chapter 49
Once Shen Qi had unearthed and properly placed the spaceship, Qin Huan didn't enter through the emergency exit. Instead, he opened the main door and headed straight to the cockpit.
Following behind him, Shen Qi curiously examined the surrounding. He had previously focused on leading Qin Huan out, not taking a detailed look at the spaceship's interior. Plus, a door separated the living room from the bedroom, so he only saw one bedroom.
Once inside the cockpit, Qin Huan sat down and began fiddling with the controls. After Shen Qi glanced at it a few times, pretending not to understand, he moved to the living room.
As soon as he entered, he stammered, "Pla-Pla-Pla-Plants..."
Waste planets, as the name implies, were abandoned planets. Every resource they once had was looted clean, with no living creatures, including cockroaches or ants, remaining. The existence of his grandfather was an anomaly, Shen Qi was another, and now there was Qin Huan.
His grandfather's surname was Bai, but Shen Qi didn't know his first name. He never disclosed it before he died.
When Grandpa Bai found himself on this planet, it had already been labeled as a waste planet. Fortunately, he had brought a good number of potted plants and seeds in his spaceship. He spent many years building a small base underground, setting up a simple irrigation system, cultivating vegetables and grain — just enough for one person.
Good thing he didn't eat much, conserving for a rainy day. The reserves he built up over the years managed to sustain Shen Qi.
Once Shen Qi grew up and showed his genius traits as a tech nerd, they redesigned the entire base, upgraded the irrigation system, and expanded the food cultivation room. The two of them gradually began to have a better life.
When Shen Qi made contact on SkyNet, he didn't hide it from Grandpa Bai. However, Grandpa Bai didn't want to connect with the outside world, and he kept this resolution until he passed away.
In the cultivation room, only a few kinds of edible fruits and vegetables, plus a staple food similar to ancient times' rice, remained after years of cultivation.
So upon seeing the potted plants in the spaceship's living room, Shen Qi was incredibly surprised.
These were plants, green plants!
Shen Qi had been on this planet for twelve years. Apart from the food ingredients grown in the cultivation room, this was the first time he had seen other plants—not on SkyNet or in virtual games, but real, living plants in the flesh.
He circled around the potted plants. His surprise was half feigned and half genuine, seeing as he indeed had spent twelve years on this deserted planet. He wouldn't have lasted if not for his strong mentality.
After the surprise came the amazement. Although Shen Qi had visited the interstellar world, the plants he saw before him were unlike anything he had ever seen before.
A waist-high floor plant stood beside the sofa. Starting from where it sprouted from the pot, layers upon layers of large, green leaves grew. On the coffee table, there was a small potted plant of a silver-white plant, utterly stunning. Upon closer look, the leaves seemed to shimmer with specks of starlight, and a bunch of small, silver flowers bloomed at the top.
Shen Qi fell in love with this potted plant at first glance. He couldn't resist picking it up and taking it to Qin Huan, hoping to convince him to grant a leaf for cultivation.
Upon returning to the cockpit and seeing the lit-up screen, he paused in his steps. As expected of the crown prince of the empire, he immediately thought to inspect the reason for the spaceship's crash.
"Go ahead and check, you won't find anything on me anyway."
Shen Qi casually walked over, "Qin Huan, can I have a leaf from this plant? I like it and want to cultivate one at home."
"Hmm." Qin Huan was fixated on the screen, too preoccupied to spare him any attention, only answering with an indifferent grunt.
Shen Qi squinted to get a better look at the screen, "Are you trying to make this spaceship fly again? But there are no signal towers here. Even if you manage to get it to fly, it would lose its way and crash."
Qin Huan made some time to acknowledge him, "So?"
Shen Qi hesitated as if mulling over something. After a moment, he seemed to come to a resolution, "I know how to construct a signal tower, but—"
Before he could finish, Qin Huan's hands froze on the control panel. He fixed a sharp gaze on him, akin to a hawk ready to pounce.
Cutting his sentence short, Shen Qi was visibly confused. Seeing Qin Huan return to a calm demeanor, he continued, "But I have one condition. If the signal tower is successfully built and the spaceship can start, can you take me with you when you leave?"
"I can." Qin Huan responded without hesitation.
A dazzling light burst from Shen Qi's eyes. Excitedly holding the potted plant, he yelled, "Really? Are you really willing to take me with you?"
Qin Huan gave the screen one last glance, closing the program, then turned back to Shen Qi with a softened gaze, "As long as the signal tower is fixed and we can contact the outside world, I will take you. But since you can build a signal tower, why didn't you use SkyNet to contact the patrol guards for help?"
Shen Qi felt a chill for Qin Huan's sudden change from cold to warm. He really was unpredictable.
He shook his head, clarity showing in his eyes, "No, the signal tower isn't built yet. When my grandfather was still alive, I had already begun preparing, but many necessary parts are missing. Gathering them is quite difficult; it took my grandfather and me three years, and an additional six years by myself after he passed away. I had to traverse the entire planet before I could find everything I needed. I have already constructed half of the signal tower, but I'm uncertain if it would function after completion..."
He pursed his lips as a look of confusion flashed across his eyes. However, moments later, it was replaced with optimism, "But it's alright. If I fail once, there's always the second time, and the third. I will definitely succeed! We will be able to leave! My grandfather said I'm the best!"
Qin Huan slightly smiled, his gaze a gentle reassurance, "I believe in you. Now, can you show me the signal tower you're constructing? Perhaps I might remember something that could help you complete it."
When Shen Qi saw his eyes, he couldn't help praising, "Your eyes are beautiful, the best I've ever seen."
Qin Huan's lips twitched down, indicating he wasn't exactly thrilled—or accustomed—to such compliments. "Let's go."
Shen Qi played with the leaf in his hand, mentally noting to find another way to express his admiration next time.
The semi-constructed signal tower was located on an open ground not far from the fountain. When Shen Qi brought Qin Huan over, the previously messy fountain had returned to its original state, not a spare part was in sight.
The signal tower Shen Qi was constructing was a dated, lower-end model. Inevitable, as a more advanced model would be impossible to build with the resources available on this planet. Although this planet is more advanced compared to some primitive ones, in comparison to high-tier main stars, it was considerably backward.
Shen Qi didn't believe Qin Huan could offer much help. As expected, Qin Huan circled the tower once and didn't offer to help further.
There's a difference between seeing, knowing, and constructing.
Even if Qin Huan possesses 3S mental abilities, it is impossible to master a new (and rather outdated) technology instantly.
However, he could understand the fundamental principles. After listening to Shen Qi's lengthy explanation, he softened his attitude further, showing a hint of earnestness. "I am fortunate to have you. If I was stranded here alone and lost my memory, I truly wouldn't have known what to do."
With Qin Huan's dependent gaze on him, Shen Qi suddenly felt a surge of pride and patted his own chest. "Don't worry, I've got you covered!"
He took Qin Huan's arm like he was revealing a precious treasure. "Come, let me show you our secret base. My grandfather and I put a lot of work into building it. Without it, we couldn't have survived here."
Qin Huan followed him, a gentle curve stretched on his lips—though his eyes didn't hold the smallest trace of a smile.
Shen Qi led him back to the cabin and pressed a hidden button. The kitchen floor gave way to a secret passageway. Stepping down the staircase and onto the lower ground, a vast space that seemed to stretch into infinity appeared before them.
Various equipment and parts were stacked densely like a maze, constantly operating in their respective roles. Visible were five large glass tubes, each filled with differently colored liquids: transparent, orange, light red, pale yellow which seemed to merge into a faint cyan, and the last coated with black paint.
"The clear one is filtered groundwater, which is directly connected to the pipes inside the house. The orange one contains juice from Ruei fruit, the light red one contains red melon juice. Both, my grandpa says, provide nutrition. The one with a cyan hue is sugarcane juice, it's sweet, can supplement sugar, and can also be used to produce sugar. You can drink it directly from the water dispenser in the kitchen. The last one is waste water," Shen Qi explained his masterpiece in detail, "I designed all of these!"
His eyes sparkled with brilliant light as he introduced them, illuminating his entire face.
Qin Huan unconsciously focused on Shen Qi's face, with vague images surfacing in his mind. It seemed like he once had such exuberant pride.
"Extraordinary," he admiringly complimented with complete sincerity.
Feeling somewhat shy, Shen Qi mussed his messy silver hair. "Also, that way, I can take you to our cultivation room. That's where our food ingredients grow. All the Ruei fruit, red melons, and sugarcane come from there, as well as vegetables, paddy rice..."
The cultivation room was through the door on the side, resembling a showcase area displaying diverse plants in glass panels on both sides. Some plants bore fruits while others were fruits themselves.
"Dinner time is coming up. What would you like to eat? I can cook anything!" Shen Qi looked at Qin Huan.
Qin Huan cast his gaze around the room. His mind automatically pulled up the names of the plants he recognized. For those he didn't, he likely wouldn't have known even if he hadn't lost his memory. He mentioned several vegetables he recognized, then paused, "Why don't I cook instead? You saved me and took me in. It's only right that I do something in return."
Shen Qi looked surprised, "You can cook?"
The corner of Qin Huan's mouth curved slightly, "Can't you?"
Shen Qi pointed to Qin Huan's fancy outfit, "I've seen it in the old videos my grandpa left behind. People who wear such clothes are usually the nobles, and they have lots of servants and robots to serve them. I thought they wouldn't cook themselves."
"Maybe I'm not a noble."
Shen Qi didn't believe him. Judging not only from his clothes and spaceship but also his every move, Qin Huan was clearly just like the nobles in the movies, if not more so.
Qin Huan didn't argue.
Shen Qi didn't push the subject either. To him, whether one was noble or not was just a matter of status; he didn't care too much about the class difference. His attention was on the upcoming meal preparation. He was curious about the dishes Qin Huan would prepare and whether they would be similar to what he usually cooked.
Enthusiastically picking vegetables, Shen Qi handed them to Qin Huan and returned to the kitchen.
The kitchen was fairly advanced, equipped with all the necessary appliances, including a vegetable washing machine, chopping machine, and a light-based cooking stove. There was no doubt about Qin Huan's cooking skills. After quickly familiarizing himself with the appliances, he got the hang of things.
"You're amazing!"
Shen Qi watched Qin Huan expertly toss the pan and exclaimed in admiration.
Qin Huan's movements were very smooth—adding oil, putting in vegetables, and sprinkling seasonings in proper sequence. He had taken off his coat and under it was a black shirt. With his rolled-up sleeves his well-defined muscles came into view. They added to his graceful movements. Yes, graceful. He wasn't just cooking; it was as if he was conducting a detailed experiment.
His gaze was focused, with hardly any expression on his face.
Shen Qi couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva quietly. It was not out of hunger, but the inexplicable resemblance of Qin Huan's posture and expression to those psychopathic murderers in certain movies he had seen. With slow, unhurried movements, they sliced through skin, divided each piece of muscle, each bone.
Luckily, Shen Qi was quite composed and quickly suppressed this train of thought, praising, "Ah Huan, you're amazing!"
Qin Huan raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at the astonishment on Shen Qi's face, but he didn't correct the form of address.
Soon, dish after dish was finished. Shen Qi tasted each one, unable to suppress the surprise on his face. His admiration for Qin Huan's cooking skill was beyond his words, "Ah Huan, you're fantastic! These are the best dishes I've ever eaten in my life!"
This wasn't flattery. Shen Qi didn't expect that the crown prince could actually cook, and his skills were comparable to those of a five-star chef, likely learned during his years stranded on a desolate star.
He couldn't help but continuously praise Qin Huan, complimenting each dish. His words practically seemed to put Qin Huan on a pedestal. It was a massive compliment.
"Eat." Qin Huan said with a frown, a hint of coldness in his eyes.
Annoying.
Shen Qi shrank his neck and started eating seriously. After only two bites, he couldn't help but blurt out again, "Ah Huan, you're really amazing!"
With messy hair, puffed cheeks, and a look full of admiration and awe, Shen Qi's amber eyes shone brightly, like the scorching summer sun, so dazzling that it seemed to shine into Qin Huan's heart.
Qin Huan closed his eyes for a moment, the shadows in his gaze disappearing.
Fine, he could tolerate it.
________________________
Author's note:
Shen Qi: Whether you're a psychopath or not, I'll praise you first.
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