When Su Mi woke up again, it felt as if she had just come back from the dead. The tearing pain in her muscles had disappeared, but the feelings of nausea and dizziness lingered on.
What came into view was the silent and profound expanse of space, dotted with starlight, as if she were in a sea of fireflies.
"Come here." The deep voice.
She turned her head and saw Shang Zheng in the pilot's seat.
She didn't know how much time had passed. Everything in her memory was a bit blurred, except for Shang Zheng's resolute face at that time, which seemed to be branded in her mind.
And at this moment, he seemed to have returned to his usual self as the director of public security, looking cold, with his emotions hard to discern. Only his haggard face, still faintly tinged with a dark aura, indicated that they had just gone through life and death together.
She managed to get up and walked over to him. He raised his hand and tossed her a box made of square, dark gray alloy material.
"Use it to absorb the radiation."
She held the humming machine and ran it over her body again and again. After some time, she finally felt that the nausea had lessened considerably. Glancing suddenly at the reflection of her face on the metal box, she saw that the discoloration had faded a lot.
She realized that he hadn't gotten rid of the radiation yet. She walked behind him, helped him unfasten his spacesuit, and ran the box over his short hair, neck, shoulders, bit by bit, again and again. Until his voice finally came, "That's enough. Go get some food from the back."
She rummaged through the small fridge and couldn't help asking, "How long was I unconscious?"
"Five hours."
"Am I... completely recovered?"
"You're lucky."
Joy slowly welled up in her heart. She brought the food to him, looked at the bloodshot eyes in his eyes, and said quietly, "I'll take the controls for a while. You should rest."
"You're not familiar with the terrain here." He said calmly.
Su Mi looked out at the unfamiliar starry sky, then lowered her head and picked up a high-calorie candy and brought it to his mouth. He glanced at her and opened his mouth to eat it. She then unscrewed a bottle of water, fed him most of it, and drank the rest herself before eating a slice of bread.
"How long until we can get back?" She asked.
"Six hours to the nearest space station." He said. "Fuel is limited."
"Oh." Su Mi sat back down in the co-pilot's seat.
The Cheetah, traveling at sub-light speed, was actually quite fast. But against the backdrop of the universe measured in galaxies, it felt like a ship sailing slowly on the ocean.
Su Mi put on her spacesuit and helmet, but her gaze involuntarily returned to Shang Zheng.
What could possibly be the reason that a high-ranking official of the Alliance was so proficient in space flight?
Even through the visor, the lines of his side profile were still as if drawn with a fine brush, strong yet not lacking in softness. His long, ink-black eyebrows that seemed to fly, his straight nose, and his thick, resolute lips.
Since the day she met him, she had been in his grasp. She was so insignificant and humble to him that he could decide her life or death, take or give at will.
But now, why was it that she didn't hate him anymore?
Even his once punitive possession couldn't stir up the slightest bit of hatred in her towards him.
Instead, his dark face, resolute eyes, and powerful embrace were like carvings by a knife or an axe, replaying in her mind over and over again.
This feeling made her uneasy. Distracted, she suddenly remembered something else. Holding on to the last shred of hope, she asked, "Director, could the same method be used to save Ling Zheng?"
Shang Zheng's indifferent voice came, "It's too late."
Su Mi's heart ached. Shang Zheng, however, seemed to perceive her thoughts and chuckled, "Do you feel sorry?"
To his surprise, Su Mi nodded quietly, "He helped me a lot. He's a good person."
"Hmm?" Shang Zheng turned his head to look at her. "What about me?"
Su Mi met his dark gaze and said softly and slowly, "You're the best, Director."
Shang Zheng's handsome face slowly took on an indifferent look.
"Su Mi, I like your docility and obedience, and I also like your body. But you should remember that I've never been a good person."
Su Mi's constitution was not as strong as Shang Zheng's. After a while, she fell asleep again. When she woke up again, the moment she opened her eyes, a huge space fortress was right in front of her.
Immediately, there was a noise from the cabin door. She turned her head and saw Mu Xiting rushing over quickly. Seeing that Shang Zheng was intact, he visibly relaxed.
Shang Zheng stood up and said to him, "You take the controls."
Mu Xiting nodded. Shang Zheng lifted Su Mi from the chair, sat down in the co-pilot's seat himself, and quite casually placed her on his lap.
He raised his hand to remove the heavy helmet, and also removed hers.
In space, he had always been unrestrained, seldom considering safety issues.
His large hand gently encircled her shoulders, pressed her head against his chest. His hand slowly slid over her soft cheek, gently caressed it, and finally stopped at her waist.
As if stroking a pet in his arms.
Su Mi gently lifted her head and saw that on the handsome face less than an inch away, his eyes were closed tightly, and his brows were slightly furrowed. Obviously, he was extremely tired and had fallen into a deep sleep.
Su Mi's feelings were complex and indescribable. She slowly leaned her head back against his chest. The cold spacesuit, yet, strangely, made her feel solid and reassuring. She nestled in his arms like this, watching the Cheetah leave the space fortress and re-enter the endless expanse of space.
Three flashes of silver light, three superluminal jumps.
The scenery in front of her gradually became familiar. At the end of her vision, around two red stars, eight planets were orbiting quietly. That was the Eternal Galaxy, the place where she had awakened.
"One hour left." Mu Xiting said without turning his head.
"Thank you." Su Mi said.
Mu Xiting was silent for a while and then said, "You've had it tough too."
Shang Zheng's breathing had been steady and long. Su Mi curled up in his arms, and her legs and feet gradually became sore. She gently grasped his hand, wanting to stand up. But as soon as she pried open his palm, she was immediately pressed down by his hands.
"Stay put." The deep voice came. She looked up and found that his eyes were still tightly closed, not even his eyelashes trembled.
"Loyalty means everything to us." Mu Xiting suddenly said. "I hope you'll be the same towards the director."
He said "us"?
Su Mi nodded.
"You should trust the director more."
Su Mi raised her eyebrows in confusion. Then she heard him say, "The director said that you remind him of his former self, so..."
"Xi Ting." The authoritative voice abruptly interrupted Mu Xiting's words. "You're talking too much."
Mu Xiting didn't say anything more. Su Mi felt a weight on her shoulder as Shang Zheng's head leaned heavily against her.
"Don't look around." His breath blew on her neck, and he opened his mouth and bit her shoulder. Su Mi's heart pounded like a drum, and she really didn't dare to move.
His former self? What was there to compare with her?
Despite her confusion, the corners of her mouth slowly curved up uncontrollably.
She thought perhaps it was because she was too happy to have survived the ordeal, or perhaps it was because this man's embrace was too safe and reliable. So, even though he wasn't a good person, even though he treated her like a pet, she couldn't help but hope that this journey, this quiet embrace, would last a little longer, even longer.
After passing through the turbulent atmosphere, the full view of Hope City gradually emerged.
A look of joy appeared on Mu Xiting's face. Shang Zheng put down Su Mi and asked her to tidy up his disheveled clothes.
The Cheetah soon landed slowly on the sprawling Shang mansion. Looking at the green and soft lawn, Su Mi couldn't help but feel happy too.
Opening the cabin door, Mu Xiting walked out first. Two military police officers were standing at the cabin door and said respectfully, "Director, the mayor is here."
Shang Zheng's expression remained unchanged as he walked out with Su Mi in his arms.
On the gravel path beside the lawn, indeed, the upright figure of You Mo-nian was standing there. Seeing the three of them walk out of the plane, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he walked over quickly.
"Director Shang, I came to visit but heard that you were out... Miss Su?"
Shang Zheng glanced at Su Mi. "She's fine."
You Mo-nian was half-believing and half-doubting. The doctor accompanying him walked up. "Director Shang, I must conduct a test before I can be sure."
Shang Zheng nodded. He let go of Su Mi. Two guards walked up, put handcuffs and leg cuffs on her, and escorted her to one side. Then, after You Mo-nian said something to Shang Zheng, he walked over to her.