It was probably what Mu Lanke said that made him think of the man named Pei Xinglin again after so many years.
He spent three years with Pei Xinglin. At first, he lived in constant fear, afraid of angering Pei Xinglin.
But later, they gradually became friends.
Of course, it was someone he considered a friend.
After all, he was surrounded by bloodthirsty, morally bankrupt interstellar thieves, and only Pei Xinglin seemed somewhat normal.
He would also beat anyone who tried to bully him so badly that they wouldn't recognize their own mother.
Therefore, Tang Xun subconsciously regarded Pei Xinglin as the spiritual pillar that supported him to live.
He would tell Pei Xinglin about his experiences from childhood to adulthood, how wonderful the Oro Empire was, his mother, his brothers and sisters, and his friends from school.
Pei Xinglin just listened quietly, then smiled sarcastically, calling him a little prince living in an ivory tower who could only see the nobles laughing and not the poor crying.
Tang Xun disliked hearing him slander the Auro Empire. At first, he dared not speak out in anger, but later, feeling that their relationship had improved, he would argue his point for a while.
Then Pei Xinglin would pinch her cheeks and stuff a chicken leg, duck leg, or something else into her mouth.
The goal is simply to shut him up and make him stop talking.
Later, Pei Xinglin was injured in battle, and the black mask on his face was knocked off, revealing an extremely ugly face.
The skin and flesh were tangled together, covered with old burn scars and scratches, making it almost unrecognizable.
At this moment, Tang Xun heard the thieves say that Pei Xinglin had lived in the slums since childhood and had once been locked in a warehouse, set on fire, which burned his face and ruined his voice.
After Tang Xun found out, he remained silent for a long time.
That day, after Pei Xinglin put the mask back on, he didn't sleep in the same room as him.
Tang Xun tossed and turned in bed alone, and finally went out and found Pei Xinglin smoking in the training room.
He asked Pei Xinglin, "Why don't you go back to sleep?"
The man removed his mask and asked him in return, "Aren't you afraid when you see me like this?"
Tang Xun showed no fear, and continued to ask, "So you're worried that I'm afraid of your face, which is why you're hiding here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Pei Xinglin frowned: "Don't flatter yourself. I just don't want to sleep."
"If you won't sleep, I won't sleep either." Tang Xun sat down next to him as usual.
Then she said softly, "I'm sorry, Pei Xinglin. Maybe you're right. I will always be the little prince living in the ivory tower, and everyone around me is very kind to me. All of this is because of my princely identity."
"I have never been to a slum, and I have never known the world you live in."
I've been trying to get you to accept my point of view, I'm really terrible..."
As Tang Xun spoke, he looked at Pei Xinglin's burned face, feeling as if a stone was stuck in his throat, making him feel choked up.
She quickly lowered her eyes to hide the redness beneath them.
"If I were you, I wouldn't know what to do either..."
"Are you pitying me?" Pei Xinglin pinched his cheek, forcing his face towards him, and looked him up and down. "You're so pitying that you can't help but cry?"
"No, no." Tang Xun was forced to look up, his entire expression exposed to Pei Xinglin, making him feel very embarrassed.
But he knew that Pei Xinglin was used to being domineering and was also very strong, so he had no ability to break free.
"If it's not sympathy, then what is it? Feeling sorry for him?" Pei Xinglin's expression was somewhat strange.
He moved closer to Tang Xun's face, exposing his disfigured features to Tang Xun.
He asked in a cold voice, "Are you feeling sorry for me, this ugly monster?"
Thank you everyone for urging me to update and for the little gifts ლ′❥｀ლ——
I've seen everyone's guesses about Xinglin and Xiaoxiao's relationship. Congratulations, you're half right! Xinglin is connected to the smiling robot merman, and he's quite pitiful...
Chapter 26
The villain was resurrected for the seventh time (26)
“No…” Tang Xun was being stared at by Pei Xinglin.
She didn't know where she got the courage, but she reached out and carefully placed her hand on Pei Xinglin's face.
The rough texture startled him.
The burn scars and tiny scratches were like humiliations etched into Pei Xinglin's soul, suffering that Tang Xun had never experienced.
Pei Xinglin was also surprised by his actions.
The warmth of Tang Xun's palm felt like the raging fire of yesteryear, burning from the point of their cheeks touching all the way to the depths of his heart.
Pei Xinglin gripped Tang Xun's slender wrist tightly and demanded, "Did I agree to let you touch my face?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"Have I been too good to you lately, making you forget our previous agreement?"
"You little coward, you need to understand that to me you're just a dispensable toy. Don't always push your luck!"
After saying that, he shook off Tang Xun's hand, quickly put on his mask, and turned to leave.
But Tang Xun grabbed the corner of her clothes.
The boy, who usually looked fearful like a hamster, spoke earnestly to Pei Xinglin this time, his neck stiff.
“You are not a monster, you are Pei Xinglin, my friend.”
"I believe that even if you try to scare me, you won't hurt me!"
Pei Xinglin stiffened for a moment, then pulled his clothes back and sneered, "Childish..."
He then strode toward the room, but stopped and turned around when he heard Tang Xun cough.
"Come with me, let's go back to sleep."
“I have an acquaintance on Nata Star. He introduced me to a doctor. When we get there, I’ll take you to see a doctor.”
Upon hearing this, Tang Xun knew that Pei Xinglin had returned to his normal state, so he quickly followed, a smile appearing on his pale face.
He said to Pei Xinglin, "Look, you said you wanted to kill me, but for the past few years, you've been thinking about how to save me."
So you're just a paper tiger; you can't scare me at all.
Pei Xinglin looked down at him, a tenderness welling up deep in his eyes that he himself was unaware of.
He said to Tang Xun, "Don't always assume you know me so well."
Tang Xun was taken aback, then replied.
"If you say I don't understand you, then tell me about your experiences?"
"I've been following you for hundreds of days, and I've almost told you about my life over the past ten years, but you've been like a silent gourd every day, not saying a word to me. I don't even know your exact age. I feel like I'm such a bad friend..."
"nineteen……"
Pei Xinglin's answer left Tang Xun stunned.
He stared at Pei Xinglin with his mouth agape: "You're only nineteen? You're only a year older than me? You, you, you, how is that possible..."
No wonder Tang Xun was surprised.
Because when he met Pei Xinglin three years ago, the other party was already very mature and even carried him and threatened him.
And he blended in with a group of interstellar pirates until no one dared to mess with him.
In addition, Pei Xinglin's voice was hoarse like an old man's, and his face was burned, making it impossible to imagine that he was just a boy about the same age as him.
“Why not?” Pei Xinglin pinched Tang Xun’s face and tugged at it, saying, “When I was out in the game, you little coward were probably still sitting in a baby chair being fed by a maid.”
Tang Xun blushed at his words, but his eyes sparkled.
She grabbed Pei Xinglin's arm and said, "Brother Xinglin, from childhood to adulthood, the places I've been to are nothing more than the palace, the hospital, and the school."
I want to understand your world, your experiences. Please tell me more about them, okay?
His change of address was so smooth that it caught Pei Xinglin off guard.
Given his usual temperament, he would definitely refuse to do something that would expose his own wounds.
But seeing Tang Xun getting excited, he felt that it wasn't a big deal to say it.
“Okay…” He agreed and pulled Tang Xun to the room.
Tang Xun immediately got into bed and crawled under the covers. He patted the spot next to him and said to Pei Xinglin, "Hurry up and change your clothes, lie down here and tell me."
Seeing his carefree attitude, Pei Xinglin raised an eyebrow, sat down, and said, "Thinking back to three years ago, you were so scared of me that you cried and begged to sleep on the floor. Now you're inviting me to bed right away. Aren't you afraid I'll actually touch you?"
"I know you like women," Tang Xun said with a smile. "I saw you posted a picture of a woman, she's really beautiful, I think that must be the one you like!"
Pei Xinglin frowned.
He thought for a moment, then took out a worn-out pocket watch from his pocket, opened it, and asked Tang, "Don't tell me you're talking about her?"
"Yes, yes, that's her. I think she must be an extremely charming woman, otherwise you wouldn't be..."
"She is my mother."
Tang Xun: "ΩДΩ!"
Chapter 27
The villain was resurrected for the seventh time (27)
Tang Xun was still in shock when, in the next moment, Pei Xinglin, who had put away his pocket watch, pressed him down onto the bed.
Pei Xinglin, hiding behind the black mask, chuckled secretly as he pinned Tang Xun's hands above his head and said to him.
"So now you know, right? I've never been attracted to women."
"But rather, a man like you, who is very handsome."
His words left Tang Xun completely bewildered.
The scene today overlaps with that of three years ago.
He seemed to have lost the courage to fight to the death that he had three years ago, and instead felt a faint excitement and shyness.