In fact, the people of the research institute had very amicable relationships. Mutual banter and quarrels were both very common occurrences, and there were many peaceful conversations and collaborations as well, but it was obvious that the mighty Arbiter would not join in.
An Zhe thought that the Colonel had been protecting people from afar for too long, to the point where he had forgotten how to mingle with them, or perhaps he had never learned how to at all.
He said, "You can also lower the expectations you have for yourself a little."
"How?"
An Zhe had no clue how he was supposed to do that, so he replied, "Think for yourself."
Lu Feng said, "Okay."
The timbre of his voice was also very chilly, seeming to contain a smile; it was a very youthful sound.
An Zhe thought that he was a mushroom that had joined human society to a certain extent. In this place, he still had much to learn. But the same was true of Lu Feng. In that way, they were exactly the same.
So he said, "For example, if you wish to be friends with the people of the research institute, you can eat with everyone and bring them fruit when you come back from the outside."
These sorts of methods may not be applicable to Lu Feng. He was only giving examples, and of course Lu Feng would understand.
"I don't really wish to," Lu Feng said. "I have you to eat with and bring back fruit for."
"That's different."
"Hm?" Lu Feng's voice took on the slight nasal sound it often had when he was teasing An Zhe. "What's different?"
An Zhe did not really wish to talk to this man, so he bit Lu Feng's neck. It seemed to hurt, so he kissed the same spot to make up for it.
Lu Feng's voice contained a smile. "You're right."
An Zhe felt that he and the Colonel had been talking past each other from the beginning. He wished to sit up and knead Lu Feng's face.
So he put his hands on Lu Feng's shoulders and moved back a little.
Right at that moment, his body suddenly went limp for no reason, and he nearly failed to stabilize himself as he fell forward.
… Right onto Lu Feng.
Lu Feng supported him. "What is it?"
An Zhe shook his head, for he was unable to describe how he was feeling.
Lu Feng touched his forehead, but he discovered nothing. An Zhe rested against his shoulder and took a hurried breath, unable to muster up any strength as he said, "I don't feel well…"
"Where are you not feeling well?"
An Zhe just dazedly wrapped himself around Lu Feng. It was difficult for him to describe how he was currently feeling in human language. It was like… like receiving the season's call, waiting for something to happen. The last time he had this sort of premonition, it was the day his spore left him. But this time was different.
Was he going to produce a new spore and begin another round of withering and rebirth? No, that wasn't right either. Right now, he only wished to be a little closer to Lu Feng. Lu Feng held his hand. The Colonel's hand was very cold, but then An Zhe realized that Lu Feng's temperature was normal and that it was himself who was very warm.
He rubbed against the hollow of Lu Feng's shoulder, shook his head, and closed his eyes, and some blurry images appeared before him.
Wind. The summer wind blew from someplace south of the Abyss. The jungle was a deep green sea, heaving and churning in the wind, and the vine's new leaves gently swayed as well. Summer was its flowering period. In the spaces between the leaves and branches, snow-white flowers grew like mushrooms popping up from the soil after the rain, and petals filled the sky.
Then came waiting.
Waiting for what?
Waiting for birds, waiting for butterflies.
What would the birds and butterflies do?
He whimpered in discomfort.
It was that vine's problem. He had just disregarded Lu Feng's warning and eaten the sap from one of this year's new vines before these strange symptoms presented themselves. It was like that time when he ate a piece of potato and passed out for three hours.
Lu Feng tilted An Zhe's head up and gently patted his cheek. "An Zhe?"
An Zhe was clearheaded, but he had lost control of his body. To clearly see his condition, Lu Feng lifted him up a little, which made him very uncomfortable. As An Zhe kept trying to lean against Lu Feng, he mumbled, "The vine…"
"What? Pain?"
An Zhe hauled over one of the soft vines dangling from the corridor at random. "The vine."
Holding him, Lu Feng breathed a faint sigh of relief. Indeed, An Zhe did not look like he was in pain right now.
He patted An Zhe's back, and An Zhe whimpered as he tried to burrow into Lu Feng's arms.
Lu Feng glanced at the nearby cascade of flowering green vines.
Behind the vines was the white building of the research institute. Fortunately, this place was not far from their living quarters.
There was a faint aroma of flowers on the wind, something that had always been there. Now there was an additional cool fragrance that was faint to the point of being nearly imperceptible, like the scent of grass and small white flowers after the rain.
It was what mushrooms liked as they grew. After a few rainy seasons, it would become the scent of the mushrooms themselves.
The mighty Arbiter let out a rare soft sigh.
He held An Zhe by the shoulders, making him meet his eyes.
An Zhe tightened his grip on the fabric of his sleeve and looked up at him, fine droplets clinging to his wet eyelashes.
"You are a mushroom," Lu Feng said. "You can't eat things willy-nilly. ”
An Zhe looked at the vine. There were no vines in the world more normal than this one, but he was still very uncomfortable. Only by being close to Lu Feng could he find relief, like how the vine's white flowers insisted on waiting for butterflies.
With a frown, he returned Lu Feng's gaze.
Lu Feng looked down at him as well.
Then he was picked up.
"Will you keep that in mind now?"