Saving the Heartthrob Frenemy

He rolled to the ground his chest rising and falling. "Oh, my fucking... gosh. I ran into a freaking alien jelly thing. Shit... it’s all over me. It burns... argh, it burns," he said obviously going through a crisis.

Uncle Jie rolled his eyes before saying, "It doesn’t burn... will you stop rolling around."

Qie Xieling, "..."

He sat up and sure enough, he wasn’t burning or anything but still, the lack of empathy from Uncle Jie was heartbreaking.

"Oh... but it’s still disgusting," said Qie Xieling before getting up. He stood next to Uncle Jie while wiping off the slime on his body.

Valria’s steps were domineering as she walked over to Jie. She was tall, gorgeous with jet black hair cascading down her back looking like an otherworldly being.

She stopped right in front of Jie and reached over to touch his face. Jie intended to dodge but before he could her wrist was firmly gripped by Qie Xieling.

"Don’t touch him," he said, his voice filled with a mix of protectiveness and defiance. Valria pulled her hand back with a scoff, her words dripping with disdain, "Captain Luo, how long are you going to hide behind that mask?" Her implication was clear. Jie, the seemingly old man, was actually Captain Luo, the notorious pirate leader of the Blood Hound, concealing his true identity.

Qie Xieling, "..."

"Sorry, what?" he exclaimed looking at Uncle Jie who looked nothing like Luo Muchen, not even his height. He bursted out laughing in amusement. Qie Xieling laughed so hard that he thought he would break a rib.

"Ahahaha you Ahahaha you must be blind. He is not," he said his gaze shifting between the two of them before stopping at Uncle Jie. When he saw the old man’s serious face he knew then that she wasn’t lying. "Oh shit," he mumbled and Uncle Jie’s face turned into Luo Muchen’s face.

Qie Xieling’s body trembled in shock, realisation dawning upon him. Recalling all the things he had said to Uncle Jie or did to him Qie Xieling was even more upset. Luo Muchen in this world was really sly. Who the hell does that to someone?

Valria found his reaction funny. She ran her fingers through her hair and said, "Lock them up. I want to know why you are here and why you had to be sneaky about it."

Luo Muchen didn’t resist, and neither did Qie Xieling. He was just in disbelief and unable to process the truth.

***

Qie Xeiling sat down cross-legged with his back against the cold, shimmering laser bars that separated him from Luo Muchen. His gaze was fixed on the dimly lit corner of his cell as if trying to escape into the depths of his own thoughts. The silence between them hung heavy in the air making anyone around them very uncomfortable.

Luo Muchen on the opposite side kept watching Qie Xieling with a mixture of remorse and regret etched across his heart. He had deceived Qie Xieling all this time, concealing his true identity but he didn’t care whether he found out or not in the future. Now that Qie Xieling had actually found out Luo Muchen felt very guilty, a feeling he didn’t expect himself to have. He couldn’t understand why he cared so much what Qie Xieling thought of him.

"Qie Xieling," Luo Muchen called out softly but his words seemed to dissipate into the void, unheard and disregarded. Qie Xieling remained stubborn his back turned as if shielding himself from Luo Muchen’s presence.

Desperation welled up within Luo Muchen, and he made another attempt to break through Qie Xieling’s impenetrable wall of indifference. "Qie Xieling, I..." his voice trailed off, choked by the lump in his throat. The weight of his guilt was suffocating, overwhelming his every word.

As if on cue, the sound of heavy footsteps reverberated through the sterile prison corridor. The guards arrived to escort Qie Xieling and Luo Muchen to their enigmatic leader.

"You two. The boss wants to see you," said one of the henchmen as they scanned their communicator on the panel to open the prison cells. The two of them stepped out with their wrists cuffed.

As they walked Luo Muchen’s eyes remained fixed on Qie Xieling, pleading silently for him to at least look at him and give him a sign that they could fix this but Qie Xieling kept ignoring him.

He refused to acknowledge Luo Muchen’s presence, his gaze fixed straight ahead, a symbol of his wounded pride and broken trust. The guards motioned for them to step into the elevator, and reluctantly, Luo Muchen tore his gaze away from Qie Xieling.

They followed the henchmen through the winding corridors of the sleek futuristic mansion until they reached a grand room with floor-to-ceiling windows that framed an awe-inspiring view of the entirety of Rion.

The vibrant hues of the star’s swirling gases painted the room in a mesmerizing glow. As they stepped into the room, their eyes were immediately drawn to Valria who stood at the head of a long, elegant dining table.

She exuded an air of power and danger, dressed in a seductive red gown that clung to her every curve. Her hair, now styled differently from when they first encountered her, cascaded in lustrous waves down her back. With bright red lips, she commanded her henchmen with an authoritative tone.

"Remove his cuffs," she ordered, her voice laced with a mix of dominance and allure as she pointed at Luo Muchen.

Luo Muchen’s wrists were swiftly freed from the restraints. While rubbing his wrists, Valria’s eyes narrowed, her gaze shifting to Qie Xieling.

A wicked smile curled upon Valria’s lips as she threatened, "Sit down Captain Luo and join me for dinner... If you refuse...well, your crew member here will pay the price."

Luo Muchen knew that Valria was not one to be trifled with. He didn’t want to sit down and if he was alone he might have picked a fight but he was worried for Qie Xieling’s safety.

He told himself that he didn’t really care about Qie Xieling but if he died then he would never be able to open that box. Luo Muchen reluctantly took a seat at the dining table. He glanced at Qie Xieling but Qie Xieling was looking down with an absentminded expression.