Applaud for Happiness - Chapter 51

 

Chapter 51

As the signal tower was being built day by day, Shen Qi became increasingly troubled.

The source of his concern, of course, was Qin Huan.

Ever since that increase of five happiness points, whatever he did, it didn't seem to have much effect. His favorability had indeed increased, and he could feel that. Qin Huan had become much friendlier towards him. However, this closeness didn't harbor romantic feelings; it felt more akin to brotherly affection.

Shen Qi found this somewhat awkward. Did he have to navigate through familial love in this world?

If he didn't know they were the same person, he wouldn't mind. Closeness could simply mean closeness. But if they were the same person, thinking about the situation from his previous three lives, he didn't even want to imagine trying to help Qin Huan heal only to watch him go to someone else.

But as for this verification, he didn't have full certainty just yet.

Likes spicy food, dislikes carrots, prefers coriander over green onions, has similar handwriting, the way he smokes...

But now, he didn't have spicy food or carrots at his disposal. He did have coriander and green onions, but he had to wait until they were out to see them — there was none in the cultivation room. As for handwriting, in the era of interstellar travel and smart devices, who needs to write with a pen? Smoking was a thing of the past, as it was said to affect mental power.

This made things very awkward.

After having lunch, Shen Qi sprawled out on the massage chair, basking in the sun as he crunched on a piece of sugarcane. In the era of interstellar travel, you didn't have to chew sugarcane into a pulp and spit it out. It ate more like an apple or pear; one could simply gnaw on it and swallow.

Sigh.

After finishing a three-segment piece of sugarcane, Shen Qi extracted another one from the built-in storage knot of his smart device. He continued his crunching.

He was troubled indeed.

The signal tower could be completed by tomorrow, and they could leave this place for a new territory soon. He'd be confronted with more than just Qin Huan then.

More importantly, this meant that Qin Huan was about to regain his lost memories!

Qin Huan's amnesia resulted from a mental force explosion. With doctors and repair pods available, his memory would be restored as soon as his mental force was sorted out.

Shen Qi wasn't worried that Qin Huan would forget what happened during his memory loss. Normally, tidying up one's mental force shouldn't cause such a situation.

What worried him was if Qin Huan truly saw him as a younger brother. That would be more problematic.

No, he had to think of a solution.

Crunching away at his sugarcane, he squinted his eyes in thought.

Since they might have to leave the next day, Shen Qi started packing things up after resting. His storage knot wasn't large—it was just a children's version. It couldn't store large items. But there was no point taking those anyway—there was nothing they couldn't find outside. So he selectively packed some necessities. As for Gou Dan, the dog, it would stay in the spaceship.

When he had finished packing, the night had already darkened. He started circling the little cabin. On the darkened planet, only this small house glowed at night.

Each brick and tile of it had been built by him and his grandfather with their own hands. The grandfather's original house was much cruder than this. One could say the entire base was designed by Shen Qi.

Twelve years. He had stayed on the planet for an entire twelve years. The sudden departure brought forth a sense of reluctance.

He walked round and round. Not knowing how many rounds he had taken, he arrived at the entrance. The gate opened, and Qin Huan walked out with Gou Dan following behind. Qin Huan placed two chairs down using all eight of his limbs, opened his stride, and sat down. He waved at Shen Qi, "Come here."

Shen Qi stopped walking and sat down.

"There's something I should tell you in advance since we're leaving tomorrow." Qin Huan, apparently regarding him as one of his own, spoke to him gently.

Shen Qi gathered his wits: "What is it?"

"It regards my identity." Qin Huan seemed to be choosing his words carefully, "If the records on the smart device are correct, I am the crown prince of the empire."

Shen Qi was astonished, "What?!"

His amber eyes were round with surprise, and his lips were slightly ajar. He looked like a startled cat.

Qin Huan caught a curled piece of Shen Qi's hair right at his temple and twirled it around his finger: "That’s what the records on the smart device say, and there are also some associated documents stored in there, including unfinished governmental affairs. It probably is true."

"Prince, the Crown Prince?"

Shen Qi looked so shocked that he couldn't get the words out smoothly. Even though he lacked some common knowledge, he still knew which country he was in and about the Empire's royal family.

Qin Huan showed a helpless expression and patted Shen Qi's hair, consoling him, "Actually, I was even more surprised than you. My identity is true, but I have no memory of it."

The shock on Shen Qi's face instantly turned to worry: "That's right, Ah Huan, you have amnesia. What are we going to do? We don't know anything. What if we get deceived when we go out? We don't even know your relationship with your parents and siblings, or who we should contact to ensure our safety. Do you feel closer to anyone in particular on your contact list? I'm not overthinking it. This is how it goes in TV dramas. Your spaceship had problems too. If it weren't for me, you might not have been able to return..."

As he spoke, his expression became more and more serious. He pressed both hands on Qin Huan's shoulders: "No, we have to think this through thoroughly."

"You don't blame me?" Qin Huan's expression was somewhat strange, "For hiding this from you?"

Shen Qi looked perplexed, "Why should I blame you?" He then paused, realizing, and waved his hand dismissively, "Oh, it doesn't matter. Like my grandfather said, one should always be cautious of others. You suffer from amnesia. To you, I am a stranger. Well, I was already a stranger to begin with. It doesn't matter if you hide such important things from me. As long as you don't deceive me. Besides, I've also kept some things from you—cough, cough..."

"What have you hidden from me?" Qin Huan's voice dropped, and for some reason, the thought of the young man hiding something from him brought a shadow to his heart.

"It's not important!" Shen Qi felt guilty and quickly tried to change the subject. Putting on a serious face, he said, "The important thing now is not this, but how we're going to handle things tomorrow!"

Qin Huan stared intently at Shen Qi, his dark eyes unreadable, making one feel inexplicably eerie. Suddenly, he pulled up the corners of his mouth, regaining his gentle demeanor: "It's okay. I believe you will tell me one day, won't you?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" A shudder passed through Shen Qi as he quickly nodded in agreement. Placing his hands on his knees, he took on the appearance of a good and obedient child. His instincts told him that this was the right thing to do.

As expected, the smile on Qin Huan's lips grew wider, and his expression became gentler: "Don't worry. I only told you about my identity to prepare you mentally. You don't need to worry about anything else. Just stay by my side."

He ruffled Shen Qi's hair and said with a smile, "You saved my life. You are my lifesaver. I promise I won't let anyone bully you."

Was this his way of comforting him, seeing how unsettled he was?

Shen Qi blinked.

Qin Huan continued, "Moreover, I need your help. I don't remember anything, so for now, I can only trust you. If anything happens, I might need your help."

Shen Qi immediately puffed out his chest: "Don't be afraid. I'll be there and I won't let anyone bully you!"

After saying this, he realized these were the same words that Qin Huan had just said. They looked at each other and immediately broke into a smile.

Remembering that this was their last night here, he ran into the kitchen, pulled out a bottle of wine from a deep cabinet and grabbed two cups. He put them on the small table next to the massage chair.

"Almost forgot about this!" Shen Qi filled two cups and pushed one in front of Qin Huan, "This is what my grandfather brought on his spaceship when he was stranded here. He said it was a secret family recipe only known by the Bai family, and this is the last bottle. I originally planned to save it for my wedding. But since we're leaving, we might as well celebrate in advance."

"Wedding?" Qin Huan's lips tightened, and an unknowing cloud fell over his eyes. "Who are you marrying?"

Shen Qi ruffled his hair: "Just a thought. I wondered if the signal tower could get built and I could leave, or maybe, I'd find a fiancée falling from the sky."

But instead of a fiancée, a crown prince arrived.

Qin Huan furrowed his brow and picked up the cup: "That's easy. Once we're out, I'll help you choose the highest match from the gene bank to bring to you, no matter who they are."

He's really treating him like a younger brother.

As Shen Qi touched his forehead inwardly, he exclaimed with a surprised expression: "Thank you, Ah Huan!"

They then began to drink, taking turns with each cup. By the fifth cup, Shen Qi became dizzy and started spouting nonsense.

"Ah Huan... Ah Huan is really good-looking, hehe..."

He gazed at Qin Huan with a dazed stare, a goofy smile on his face: "Ah Huan is the most handsome person I've ever seen..."

Qin Huan showed no signs of intoxication as he glared at the drunken youth, his gaze flickering: "Who are you?"

One last time, he told himself, this was the final test.

"I'm Shen Qi..." Shen Qi responded without hesitation.

"Which galaxy are you from? Who are your parents?"

Shen Qi looked a bit dazed, his face filled with confusion: "I don't remember..." After he finished speaking, he pouted, seeming as though he was about to cry from grievance.

Qin Huan's gaze darkened slightly, he patted Shen Qi's head, his touch soothing and coaxing: "I know you don't remember, but your optical brain stores everything. Tell me, okay?"

Shen Qi looked stunned as if digesting his words. After a while, he instinctively opened his optical brain, displaying everything clearly in front of Qin Huan: "You mean this?"

Qin Huan was now also stunned, unprepared for his straightforwardness. Nobody would fully disclose their optical brain to someone else considering its importance. Even some married couples would never get to see each other's optical brain information.

The youth's cheek was flushed, but his gaze was full of honesty and a hint of dependency.

He was truly…

Foolish.

Qin Huan's chest heaved and he pulled Shen Qi into his arms.

Enough, he figured as long as he kept a close watch on the youth, nothing would go wrong.

As for the youth's future romances or marriage, he frowned and instinctively ignored the uncomfortable assumption.

"Ah Huan..." Shen Qi's drunkenness fully kicked in. He leaned back, giggled, and poked Qin Huan's chin, "There are two Ah Huans..."

Suddenly, he sprang up from his massage chair and straddled Qin Huan, tilting his head curiously: "Why are there two Ah Huans?"

"Because you're drunk." Qin Huan tried to stand up and guide Shen Qi to bed, but Shen Qi held him down with surprising strength. Unable to break free at the moment and not wanting to hurt Shen Qi using his psychic power, Qin Huan ended up not pushing him away. He appeasingly said, "Be good, Xiao Qi. You're drunk. Let me take you to bed, okay?"

"No!" Shen Qi refused outright. After studying Qin Huan for a moment, he suddenly leaned in and planted a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Qin Huan's eyes widened in surprise.

Satisfied with the kiss, Shen Qi hugged Qin Huan, resting his head on his shoulder. His voice went soft, filled with delight, "I like Ah Huan so much..."

Qin Huan's hand paused mid-air before finally falling onto the table. He touched a cold glass, his gaze deepened.

"Ah!" Shen Qi suddenly sat up, looking bright-eyed, "I remember! I remember something! I have a fiancé!"

The glass cup shattered into pieces.

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