Feeling You Zhengping’s movements, Yu Hua froze. 

No one in the world understood better than Yu Hua the reason You Zhengping was behaving like this. It was his fault. 

When Yu Hua had carefully avoided everyone’s gazes, slowly changed into the black cloak, and flown to the roof, the first thing he had seen had been Xiao You, seriously injured, and he had heard Destroyer 192 mention that Xiao You had become a human bomb. 

His fury had instantly gone to his head. Yu Hua had forgotten that he had to be a normal person, forgotten that he had to seal his power. He had released a portion of the System’s energy, his unsealed power rising from 3% right to 20%. 

The frightening abnormal energy that the Protectors had felt had been released when Yu Hua had undone the seal. Even undoing the seal was that terrifying. 

He had viciously tortured Destroyer 192, then as quickly as possible had picked up Xiao You and healed him and gotten rid of the transmitted vibrations. At the same time, he had been unable to resist giving him a tender kiss. 

If Xiao You hadn’t quickly gotten away, Yu Hua wouldn’t even have realized what he had done. 

Power made a person lose himself. Yu Hua had understood this when he had passed his five hundredth level. In that world, he had done something he regretted, and from then on he had resolved that he wouldn’t become a slave to violence. 

But when his power had been unsealed to 20%, Yu Hua had once again felt that wild arrogance. At the time, he had only wanted to trap Xiao You forever under his wing, not let him go to work, forbid him from taking part again in the battle between the Protectors and the Destroyers. 

Only when Xiao You had rolled out of his embrace had Yu Hua realized that what for him was a tender gesture was an injury to Xiao You, who dearly loved his partner. 

Then Yu Hua had quickly used Destroyer 192’s System to get a healing item, absorbed his System, and once again suppressed his power. 

Unfortunately, Destroyer 192 was truly too weak. A mere 192 levels of energy was just enough for Yu Hua to seal 5% of his power. He still had 15% remaining. 

Yu Hua had had to distribute even more of that power to healing abilities, then quickly flee before the Protectors’ main force arrived. 

Suppressing the arrogant thoughts brought on by the sharp rise in power had exhausted Yu Hua’s mental energy. He had been temporarily unable to think about how he had kissed Xiao You. He had deliberately avoided it. 

But starting to worry about how he should treat Xiao You when his identity had been revealed, as well as the suitcase on top of the wardrobe, had involuntarily revealed Yu Hua’s thoughts. He hoped that Xiao You wouldn’t feel sad because a stranger had stolen a kiss from him, hoped that Xiao You would know that the one who’d kissed him had been Yu Hua. That was why he had chosen to trust fate. 

Seeing Xiao You rubbing his lips against his pajamas as though he had a grievance, Yu Hua couldn’t even say the words “What’s wrong?” This time, he couldn’t pretend to be clueless. 

Fortunately, You Zhengping wasn’t planning on talking about it. He was a strong person and had decided to bear it himself. 

He kissed the second button of Yu Hua’s pajama top and quietly said, “I haven’t seen you in two days. I missed you.” 

Yu Hua sighed and put his arms around You Zhengping. Also quiet, he said, “I missed you, too.” 

The strong-willed Protector You Zhengping, who yesterday on the roof had risked his life to protect children, who had understood a new use for his spatial ability at the moment of crisis, who had forced himself to meet Destroyer 192 head-on even when covered in wounds, had returned home today and only wanted to curl up in Yu Hua’s arms, seeking consolation. 

You Zhengping kicked off his shoes and climbed under the covers, guiltily saying, “I didn’t change my shoes when I came in. I got the floor all dirty.” 

He pursed his lips, deliberately drawing out the “floor all dirty.” 

Yu Hua ran his hands through the thick hair in front of You Zhengping’s forehead, intimately rubbing his nose. In a soft voice, he consoled him: “It’s no problem, I’ll just wipe it a few more times.” 

You Zhengping looked up at Yu Hua carefully. Pursing his lips, he said, “Today is a working day. It’s almost time for you to go to work…” 

Yu Hua decisively felt around the head of the bed, found his phone, and called Zhen Li. “Hello, President Zhen? There’s a talent show that would like to invite you and Yuan Luori. I’m going to their company today to discuss it, so I won’t be at work. Since I’ll be out on business, please put me down for full attendance and provide me with a food and travel allowance.” 

Yu Hua, who sounded more like he was in charge than his boss, hung up and waved the phone at You Zhengping. “I don’t need to go to work today.” 

You Zhengping said, “…But you have to go discuss…” 

“I was lying.” Yu Hua pecked You Zhengping’s lips. “I’m already settled things with the talent show. I don’t need to go. In a few days, when I’ve thoroughly reviewed the contract, I can give it to Yuan Luori to sign.” 

You Zhengping: “…” 

No wonder a talent like Yu Hua had insisted on working at Zhen Li’s crappy little studio. This studio’s personnel, from the boss down to the employees, were all so easily tricked! 

Seeing You Zhengping’s “I’ve encountered a menace to society” expression, Yu Hua drew close to his ear and quietly said, “I’ve sold Yuan Luori at a good price, and the studio can deduct 90% of it. We can take 45% of the studio’s earnings. When we get it, I’ll buy you a better watch.” 

You Zhengping remembered how Yuan Luori had kept his mouth shut about the “stolen kiss” and “head pillowing” in front of Director Xiao and felt slightly remorseful. He quietly said, “I have no use for a very good watch. You don’t need to sign such a harsh indenture.” 

Hearing Xiao You speak for Yuan Luori, Yu Hua’s cold blood abated somewhat. He pinched Xiao You’s face. “Since you’re interceding for him, then I’ll work out a new contract with lighter terms.” 

“All right,” You Zhengping answered quietly. Putting his arms around Yu Hua’s neck, he said, “I’ve worked two days and two nights in a row. My superior has given us three days off. So…should we exercise?” 

They were both deeply devoted to exercise. Once they started, they lost track of time, dizzily going through hundreds of push-ups and stretching the insides, outsides, fronts, and backs of their leg muscles. After the exercise, they were wiped out. You Zhengping went right to sleep. 

Yu Hua also dozed for a while. When he woke, he saw that it was already midday, and Xiao You hadn’t even had lunch yet. So he got up to cook, carefully covering Xiao You with the quilt. While the summer was hot, it was still necessary to protect one’s back and abdomen. 

Soon the aroma of food floated into the bedroom. You Zhengping was woken by the smell, opened his eyes, saw that Yu Hua’s part of the bed was empty, then moved over to lie on Yu Hua’s pillow, wrapped up in his husband’s smell. 

He remembered that at yesterday’s meeting, Lian Yufan had warned him that Yu Hua was a cold-blooded control freak and told him to take note of his partner’s mental state. 

You Zhengping had been unhappy at the time and had retorted, “Yu Hua is gentle and considerate. He’s very nice. Are you jealous of our wedded bliss?” 

“Gentle, considerate, very nice?” Lian Yufan rolled his eyes. “If you insist on lying to yourself and others, there’s nothing I can say. If it hadn’t been for you protecting those three children putting your ideas into practice, I wouldn’t have taken the time to warn you.” 

The two of them, having just found a bit of fellow feeling after working together, once again nearly came to blows, only stopping because Cen Xiao and Luo Huai broke it up. This time, Cen Xiao pulled back Lian Yufan, while Luo Huai was the one dragging You Zhengping away. 

Following Director Xiao’s instructions, Cen Xiao and Luo Huai separated the two of them and took them to different break rooms. 

Cen Xiao said in frustration, “Why are you always needling You Zhengping? He loves Yu Hua so much, can’t you leave him in peace for two days?” 

Ordinarily, Cen Xiao wouldn’t have said this to Lian Yufan. It was because during this operation, Cen Xiao had seen another side of Lian Yufan, the side that could carry his ruthlessness and reason to the highest degree. It was admirable. But whenever he met You Zhengping, Lian Yufan would lose the rationality he was so proud of, entirely turning into a person who would wreck others’ marriages for no reason. Cen Xiao couldn’t understand what Lian Yufan was thinking. 

Lian Yufan looked at Cen Xiao and raised his eyebrows. “A common special ability user like you is truly blessed.” 

“Why are you talking about me?” Cen Xiao said wearily. “Do you feel unwell if you aren’t bothering our squad?” 

“That’s right, unwell. Every time I see You Zhengping happily showing off his married life, I get annoyed, and when all of you wish him well, I could die of it.” Lian Yufan took a bottle of baijiu from the refrigerator and started to drink alone. 

“If you keep talking, I’m going to hit you.” Cen Xiao also poured himself a cup. “If you’re jealous of someone’s emotional life, then go try dating. Though with your personality, I figure no one would want you.” 

Lian Yufan didn’t say anything. He only drank silently. The mission had ended, and they were resting now. They could drink appropriately, relax their nerves. But Lian Yufan wasn’t drinking to relax. He was knocking back one cup after another, only wanting to numb himself. 

Soon two bottles of baijiu were empty. Seeing Lian Yufan going for a third bottle, Cen Xiao quickly blocked him. “Stop drinking.” 

Lian Yufan was clearly somewhat drunk. He hugged the bottle, not letting go. He looked at Cen Xiao, narrowing his bleary eyes, and suddenly said, “I envy you, but I don’t envy You Zhengping.” 

“What is there about me to envy?” Cen Xiao tried to pull the bottle out of Lian Yufan’s arms. “A single dog, and my tiny above-board salary has to go to help a person in a relationship pay fines, buy phones!” 

Lian Yufan looked directly at Cen Xiao. “I envy that you can get into a relationship without worrying. You can pair up with anyone you want. But not me, and not Luo Huai, and not You Zhengping, either.” 

“Why not? You Zhengping is married,” Cen Xiao said carelessly. 

“Being married is no good, either. I told you, if not for You Zhengping having a hard time controlling his special ability, he wouldn’t have been able to get married,” Lian Yufan said, lowering his eyes. 

Cen Xiao’s hand paused in the process of snatching away the bottle. “Why not?” 

Lian Yufan’s gaze was a little misty. He licked his lips and quietly said, “Have you heard of the Protector Perpetuation Program?” 

“What’s that?” Cen Xiao had never heard this name. 

“You haven’t heard of it because there are many fire special ability users. They can be easily replaced and aren’t qualified to know about this.” Lian Yufan clutched the bottle tightly. “Powers like mine, Luo Huai’s, You Zhengping’s, are unique, hard to replace. When we die, there may not be Protectors of the same kind again. We have a duty to leave behind optimal Protector genes.” 

At these words, a faint chill went up Cen Xiao’s spine. He shook his head. “There’s no evidence to show that a Protector’s offspring will necessarily have special abilities.” 

“If a special ability user marries an ordinary person, their children won’t necessarily be special ability users. But a special ability user with another special ability user, their offspring have a ninety percent chance of being special ability users, and they can completely inherit one parent’s ability. The Protector Perpetuation Program means that Protectors with unique abilities have a duty to marry other special ability users and leave behind children with the same special ability.” Lian Yufan opened the third bottle. His hand shook as he poured. “My father was a Protector with a repairing ability.” 

The materials had shown that Lian Yufan’s father was dead, and that his mother had remarried and had had no contact with Lian Yufan for many years, as if she had forgotten she had a son. 

“But your mother isn’t…” Cen Xiao said hesitantly. 

“She’s an ordinary person. My father rescued her during a Destroyer’s attack, and they fell in love and decided to get married. My father only found out about the Protection Perpetuation Project when he submitted the marriage application to the organization.” Lian Yufan slowly drank the liquor in his cup. “You know what technology was like over twenty years ago. It was very backwards. Many things relied on tradition. The organization didn’t agree, but they still got married. But there was a requirement. If they hadn’t produced a child who inherited my father’s ability before he was thirty years old, then my father would have to take part in the Protector Perpetuation Program.” 

“Luckily, you inherited his power,” Cen Xiao consoled. 

Lian Yufan looked at Cen Xiao. “My special ability only awakened when I was ten years old. I was only born when my father was twenty-five.” 

In other words, when Lian Yufan had been five years old, his father had been thirty, the arranged time, and he still didn’t have a child who had inherited his power. 

“When I was born and showed no signs of a special ability, my mom broke down crying in the hospital room. She gave the organization a guarantee that there were five years left and she would keep trying.” Lian Yufan’s arms began to tremble uncontrollably. “She got pregnant again half a year after I was born. She was too anxious to have the next child. This led to her giving birth prematurely and being unable to conceive again.” 

Cen Xiao gripped Lian Yufan’s arms, stopping the trembling for him.

“It’s also possible for a special ability to only awaken after you grow up. So my mother put all her hopes on me. She was desperate to raise me according to special ability user norms, but the arranged time came closer and closer, I was about to turn five, but I was still ordinary, and my mother’s mental health was getting worse and worse. One day while I was sleeping I felt that I was choking. When I opened my eyes, I found that she was holding my throat. She told me that there are people whose special abilities awaken on the point of death, and she wanted to try.” As Lian Yufan spoke, tears rolled down his face, but he seemed not to notice. 

Cen Xiao didn’t know what to say. He could only hold onto his hands. 

Lian Yufan threw off Cen Xiao’s hands. Intoxication was making him talkative. “I don’t hate her. She only loved my father too much, didn’t want to lose him, didn’t want him to have a child with someone else, whether it was done artificially or…another way. She hoped that I was a special ability user, but my power awakened too late. My father died in battle when he was thirty. He didn’t betray his marriage, but my mother and I still lost him.

“In another five years, my special ability awakened, but by that time, my mother had already gone into a mental sanatorium. Her constant obsession and the passing of her husband made her lose control of her mind. In the end, she couldn’t take it. I remember that when my special ability awakened, I was really glad. I ran to the sanatorium to see her. I wanted to tell her the good news. But when I arrived, I saw Luo Huai.” 

Luo Huai had snatched away all of Lian Yufan’s mother’s memories concerning the Protectors, concerning her husband, concerning her son. All the happy and painful memories were removed. When Lian Yufan arrived at the sanatorium, it had been his first time seeing his mother smiling so happily. And the reason for that happiness was that she had forgotten him. 

He unconsciously pushed the liquor bottle onto the ground. The bottle broke, and the remaining liquor slowly flowed out. Lian Yufan’s fingertips touched the shards of the bottle, and the bottle was repaired, turning into an empty liquor bottle. 

“The bottle can be repaired, but the liquor won’t come back.” Lian Yufan smiled bitterly. “How old is You Zhengping?” 

“Twenty-five,” Cen Xiao said quietly. 

“A good age. My father was twenty five when I was born. He naïvely thought that he still had five years.” Lian Yufan shook his head. “You Zhengping won’t be happy. The organization hasn’t told him about this because it’s waiting for the day his emotional state stabilizes.” 

“You were warning You Zhengping to take note of Yu Hua’s mental state because…” Cen Xiao was fearful from what he was hearing. 

“Yu Hua is a control freak to start with. During the investigation, I could see it from his diary and all kinds of small details. Do you think he would allow You Zhengping to take part in the Protector Perpetuation Program? Even though technology has advanced now, he still wouldn’t agree,” Lian Yufan said. “When the time comes, I’m afraid Luo Huai will have to step in again.” 

Hearing this, Cen Xiao was at a loss. He could only change the subject in a flurry. “Luo Huai was only carrying out his assignment. Don’t be so hostile towards him.” 

“Luo Huai?” Lian Yufan sneered. “He’s different from me. He’s a perfect child of the Perpetuation Project. His special ability awakened from birth. When I was ten and my ability had just awakened, he had already been carrying out assignments for years. All of you shouldn’t get too close to Luo Huai, either. There may come a day when he puts his hand on your shoulder not out of friendliness, but because he’s silently carrying out his assignment.” 

Lian Yufan was always on his guard against Luo Huai, avoided him as much as possible. He was afraid of one day forgetting everything he cared about. 

While Lian Yufan and Cen Xiao drank, Luo Huai was counseling You Zhengping in another break room. “Don’t blame Lian Yufan. The fact that he has a bad outlook on all Protectors’ marriages is my fault.” 

“If he has a bad outlook, he can take it out on me. Why does he have to go after Yu Hua every day?” 

“Because one day, I may erase all of Yu Hua’s memories about you,” Luo Huai said quietly. “Like I erased all of his mother’s memories about him.” 

You Zhengping’s breath caught. He looked at Luo Huai in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Luo Huai to say these things. 

Luo Huai briefly recounted how he had taken Lian Yufan’s mother’s memories. You Zhengping was also hearing about the Protection Perpetuation Program for the first time. 

“My mother was a special ability user, and she wasn’t like Lian Yufan’s father. Even if his father hadn’t passed on his ability, the damage wouldn’t have been so great. But my mother’s power promoted social stability. She had to produce offspring before she was twenty-six… It seemed there was no better way for it, so I was born, perfectly,” Luo Huai said to You Zhengping in quiet melancholy. 

“But…we’re all the same age. You would have been only ten when you took his mother’s memories. Why were you the one carrying out the assignment instead of your mother?” You Zhengping hugged his arms involuntarily. 

“Because she…had borne too many memories. Her mental state was unsteady to begin with. After I was born, she was affected with severe postpartum depression. When drugs and counseling had failed over and over, she avoided everyone and killed herself.” As he spoke, Luo Huai was as calm as though he were relating someone else’s story. “After I snatched away Lian Yufan’s mother’s memories, I didn’t take on another assignment. There were no Destroyers for fifteen years. I was happy during that time, happy and blessed. The organization agreeing to your marriage, apart from being for the sake of stabilizing your emotions, must have been because they thought no more Destroyers would appear, and the young people could have it easier. The Protector Perpetuation Program was stopped over a decade ago, but now that Destroyers have appeared again, I don’t know whether they’ll start it again.” 

Only special ability users could see Luo Huai’s face clearly, but right now, You Zhengping felt that his face was very blurred. It was as though he was about to disappear.

“Captain You, I wish this world had no Destroyers, no Protectors, no special ability users, only ordinary comrades in arms,” Luo Huai said gently. “If such a day comes, perhaps Lian Yufan won’t be so obsessed, and I…won’t have to bear so many painful memories.” 

You Zhengping opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was very concerned that the Protector Perpetuation Program would make Yu Hua go mad, but this had yet to happen. Perhaps there was a chance; perhaps the project wouldn’t restart. But Luo Huai and Lian Yufan’s tragedies had already happened. There was no way to recover time that had passed, and the harm done to them couldn’t disappear.

In fact, every time Lian Yufan insisted that a Protector’s marriage couldn’t be happy, what he was saying was, “I couldn’t be happy.” 

The next morning, You Zhengping had come home, thrown himself into Yu Hua’s arms, forced himself to pretend nothing had happened. He had enjoyed Yu Hua’s embrace, for once acting like a spoiled child and making Yu Hua skip work to stay with him. 

The aroma of food from the kitchen reminded You Zhengping that everything he had now might be transient. 

It would be better if there were no Destroyers. 

He got out of bed and went to the kitchen. He hugged Yu Hua from behind, gently kissing his husband’s sturdy back. 

We’ll definitely be happy, You Zhengping thought inwardly. 

—

Author’s Note: 

Yu Hua: It would be better if there were no System. 

You Zhengping: It would be better if there were no Destroyers. 

The author: You two will definitely be happy. 

---

Author's Note

Chapter Explanation: 

First, Lian Yufan is talking about things from twenty to thirty years ago. Technology and ideas were both very backwards. 

Second, due to all manner of humanitarian considerations, this project was stopped fifteen years ago, or else You Zhengping wouldn’t have gotten married without knowing anything about it. 

Third, the main reason Luo Huai’s mother killed herself was that she had taken in too many memories and negative emotions. Luo Huai is the same; his emotional state also borders on collapse. 

Fourth, not all Protectors had to undergo this project, only the ones with unique abilities, because they were too unique. For other types, it was enough for the ability to awaken among ordinary people.