| GB | Don't You Like It? | 30
The night was deep, and Yu Bai was surrounded by sleepiness, completely unaware of what Huo Duo'er was doing.
"Sniff?" he asked curiously, "Sniff what?"
As he spoke, the hand pressed against the orc’s face was enveloped by a large palm, and both of his hands were pinned above his head.
A sharp, deeply contoured face leaned closer, and a tall, straight nose brushed lightly against the delicate skin of his neck.
Yu Bai’s gaze grew hazy, and he curved his eyes into a smile. "It tickles..."
He laughed softly, trying to suppress the sound in his throat, but gradually, he couldn’t laugh anymore.
His soft cheeks flushed bright red, and his breathing became rapid.
The ticklish sensation lingering at his neck began to spread downward along his arms.
It continued to spread to his smooth, slender waist and abdomen, and even the robe tied around his hips loosened slightly.
Yu Bai’s dewy eyes suddenly widened. Realizing something was wrong, he abruptly curled up his knees.
The orc’s hair brushed against the crook of his knee, and Yu Bai’s whole body bounced up from the animal pelt, his legs tightly clamped together.
Yu Bai pushed against the broad shoulders, trying to fend off that aggressive face.
He was completely stunned and hurriedly pulled the animal pelt over himself, wrapping it tightly around his body.
"Y-You... what are you doing?!"
It was one thing for Huo Duo'er to just sniff his neck, but this…
This was way too much!
Blushing furiously, Yu Bai glared at him, then quickly turned around, showing him only the back of his head.
He raised his voice and said, "Sleep!"
Huo Duo'er licked the tip of his tongue, his breath hot and heavy.
He leaned over toward Yu Bai, reaching out an arm to pull him into an embrace.
When Yu Bai didn’t push him away, he, just like usual, tucked the slender body into his arms.
"Bai, I..."
Yu Bai turned his head, eyes wide, glaring at him, he insisted on hearing an explanation.
"I just wanted to," Huo Duo'er said.
"..."
"Bai, you don't like it?"
The orc's overly sincere honesty made Yu Bai start to wonder if his own attitude was the problem.
Yu Bai found it unbelievable, wishing he could shrink and disappear into a crack in the ground.
He stammered, "W-Why would I like it... This isn’t normal. We’re not... that kind of relationship... This isn’t right..."
Huo Duo'er responded with a quiet "Mm," as if he truly took it to heart. He didn’t say anything else, his beast-like eyes lowering, giving him a sudden air of loneliness and gloom.
Yu Bai shook his head and said, "L-Let’s rest..."
He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep the whole night, but Huo Duo'er's chest was just too warm.
Very soon, Yu Bai relaxed, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, and he finally drifted off to sleep, fully leaning against the comforting warmth of the orc's body.
—
The next day, a layer of snow covered the roof.
Yu Bai sat up from the bed, wrapped in the animal pelt. His bleary gaze swept around and stopped on the orc’s back.
Huo Duo'er had already cooked a mushroom, egg, and meat soup. Seeing that Yu Bai was awake, he poured some hot water into a stone basin and even set out a stone cup and a small toothbrush made of pig bristles, taking care of everything before Yu Bai even needed to lift a finger.
As usual, Yu Bai got up, bent his knees slightly, and dazedly stared at them while putting on his shoes.
In an instant, shameful scenes from the night before flooded his mind.
Feeling awkward, he grabbed the stone cup and the little toothbrush and crouched in the corner to brush his teeth.
He wanted to ask why the orc had sniffed him like that at night, and why he had gone even further, even sticking out his tongue.
The more he thought about it, the more flustered he became. Yu Bai squeezed his knees together, brushing his teeth with a small, tense face.
But Huo Duo'er’s expression was no different from usual, and seeing that, Yu Bai’s awkwardness gradually faded away.
If the other party didn’t bring it up, then he would just pretend it never happened, dragging it out would only make things more awkward for himself.
—
After finishing their meal, Yu Bai, as usual, took two pieces of medicine.
There weren’t many medicinal leaves left, and he would have to wait until the next spring to gather more.
Huo Duo'er frowned deeply as he looked at the dwindling supply of herbs, falling into thought.
After living with Yu Bai for the past few days, he understood that Yu Bai couldn't do without the medicine, and Huo Duo'er worried about something happening to his mate.
The orc’s eyes were filled with concern as he held Yu Bai’s hands tenderly within his own.
"Bai, are you sure these herbs can only be gathered in the spring? If we went to the High Priest, could he find a way to cure you?"
Yu Bai shook his head slightly, his expression troubled.
"Huo Duo'er, don’t be angry when I say this, I honestly don’t have the same respect and trust for the High Priest as most orcs do."
"I don't really agree with the High Priest’s methods of healing. My life was saved by the old sub-female orc. I’ve lived until today because of the herbs he gave me, so I only trust him."
He asked softly, "Will you be angry if I say that?"
Huo Duo'er shook his head, and even reminded him, "Just keep these thoughts to yourself. As long as you and I understand, that’s enough. Don’t tell the other orcs."
After all, the Yuan Tribe’s territory wasn’t truly theirs, and Huo Duo'er couldn't be by Yu Bai’s side all the time. If Yu Bai accidentally said something wrong, Huo Duo'er worried that trouble would come for him.
Yu Bai nodded, "I understand."
He hadn’t read many books, but he still knew that every era had its own civilization and logic.
He was just an ordinary person, he couldn’t go around challenging the local ways, nor did he have the strength to shake things up like a lone ant trying to topple a tree.
Seeing how obedient and thoughtful Yu Bai looked, a ripple stirred in Huo Duo'er’s heart.
Although Huo Duo'er couldn’t keep Yu Bai by his side at all times, today he planned to bring Yu Bai into the main city. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone in the small cabin or entrusting him to another orc.
Huo Duo'er wrapped Yu Bai tightly from head to toe in a wolf pelt, then hung a burlap bag around his neck. Inside were boiled eggs, roasted wild yams, soft cakes, a few fruits, and a waterskin tied at his waist so he could drink easily.
Carrying Yu Bai in his arms, Huo Duo'er made his way into the city, holding the small sub-female securely against his chest.
It wasn’t until the whistling wind around them lessened that Yu Bai poked his head out from the fluffy wolf pelt.
As soon as he peeked out, he locked eyes with several onlookers by the roadside.
It was clear the orcs were staring at him.
Yu Bai quietly shrank his head back into the fur, and Huo Duo'er placed a large palm protectively over the top of his head, giving a gentle pat in silent reassurance.
"Is this the sub-female the giant beat the horned ox A’Shi over?" someone whispered nearby.
"His horns were cut off, and A’Shi lost all his strength. How will he hunt in the future?"
"I can't believe a male orc would go that far for a sub-female..."
"This sub-female doesn't seem particularly special, though."
The story of Huo Duo'er cutting off A’Sh’s ox horns for the sake of his mate had spread like wildfire through the tribe. Their curiosity about the sub-female only grew stronger.
Hearing that the pair had been summoned into the city by the chieft, even more orcs gathered to see the spectacle.
When they saw the sub-female in the arms of the giant with their own eyes, they found that while his little face was smooth and delicate, and his black, bright eyes were indeed very attractive, he didn’t seem so extraordinarily beautiful that a male would go to such extremes for him.
Huo Duo'er took long strides forward, completely unfazed by the gossip.
Yu Bai quietly looked back at the growing crowd of orcs behind them and let out a small sigh.
"Huo Duo'er, do you think we've... become famous in a way we never expected?"
Huo Duo'er's face was cold. "Ignore them."
Yu Bai let out a soft "Oh."
Seeing how obedient he was, Huo Duo'er's chest burned hot, an uncontrollable surge of excitement rising within him.
He pressed his large hand against the back of the sub-female's head, tucking him firmly against his chest, and steadily carried him across to their new home territory
—
It was freezing cold, and Huo Duo'er really had no other choice but to bring Yu Bai along while he worked.
He wasn’t comfortable leaving Yu Bai alone outside the main city or entrusting him to A’Li and the others, neither option felt as reassuring as having Yu Bai right in front of him.
Deep down, Huo Duo'er didn’t truly trust anyone but himself.
Even though Yu Bai had a good relationship with A’Li, they were still not close enough. If things came down to weighing pros and cons, A’Li wouldn’t necessarily risk himself for Yu Bai.
The main structure of the house was almost finished, but there were still some finer details that needed to be completed.
Huo Duo'er carried Yu Bai into the house and looked for a wind-sheltered, relatively spacious corner.
He pulled out two pieces of old animal hide he had brought along and quickly set up a makeshift tent.
Yu Bai was amazed at Huo Duo'er's hands-on skills. He circled the wooden house once, examining it, and by the time he returned to Huo Duo'er's side, the little tent was already up.
The makeshift tent was just big enough for him to lie down and rest inside.
If he wanted to sit and move around a little, he wouldn’t feel cramped, and most importantly, the animal hides would block the cold wind blowing through the cracks in the walls.
Huo Duo'er said, "Rest inside the tent. If you get tired, go to sleep."
Yu Bai obediently nodded. "Go ahead and work. I can take care of myself."
Huo Duo'er, determined to finish building the main house within two days, didn’t say much more and quickly went outside to get busy.
Yu Bai stayed inside the tent, not idly passing the time. After drinking some hot water from the pouch to warm his stomach, he took out a few bundles of tough plant fibers from the burlap bag and began carefully twisting them into hemp ropes.
The two of them worked quietly. At one point, Huo Duo'er, sweat glistening on his face, suddenly leaned into the small tent and said, "Bai, I’m thirsty. Can you pass me some water?"
At the moment, there was only one waterskin available, so Yu Bai opened the pouch and handed it to Huo Duo'er.
He wanted to remind him to wipe the opening first and shyly said, "I drank from it a little while ago, so you should wipe it before drinking."
As he spoke, he pointed to a small tear on the opening.
Huo Duo'er didn’t seem to hear clearly and drank directly from the same spot.
Yu Bai let out an exasperated "Hey," and added, "Don't you mind the dirtiness..."
Huo Duo'er swallowed the water, his gaze locking onto Yu Bai's eyes.
"It’s not dirty."
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