[Flirtatious and unruly, all bark and no bite, a powerful heteromorph seme]
[Cool and alluring, silent and stubborn, a closeted mad-scientist uke]
Yan Longshi hated Xi Ting.
Xi Ting had exquisitely beautiful features and was hailed as a beauty who appeared once in a century. He was old nobility, the nation's universally acknowledged consort to the prince. He was a pure-blooded human, standing at the top of the Empire's hierarchy of races. He was a leading authority in scientific research, and his precious mind was the Empire's hope.
Unfortunately, Yan Longshi was a "mongrel" heteromorph with considerable research value. Even as a high-ranking officer, he could not escape being subjected to regular blood draws for research. Xi Ting was determined to study him, and Yan Longshi could hardly refuse.
After all, in the eyes of the nobles, heteromorphs weren't people.
Yan Longshi knew the Empire's darkness. He knew that countless frail lives vanished in secret laboratories. Even though Xi Ting was so beautiful and tempting, exactly his type, whenever he thought of that white lab coat and the military research institute running the experiments, he wanted to tear the accomplice to pieces with his claws.
But little by little, Yan Longshi realized that his love and hate had switched places, and he had strayed completely off course.
The young man curled up beside him bore suggestive marks on his body. The scratches on Yan Longshi's back suddenly itched terribly. Xi Ting's dazed, passionate expression from the night before surfaced in his mind again, and he teased him without thinking:
"How does it feel to be touched by a mongrel, Your Grace, future princess consort?"
Xi Ting answered with tear-filled, bloodshot eyes.
And a kiss.
Yan Longshi often found himself lost in a daze.
Destroy Xi Ting. Destroy the Empire. Destroy this dark, filthy country. Make Xi Ting and that damned dream of the Empire's greatness crumble completely. He reminded himself over and over that this was what he should do, what he had to do, but hesitation always tore him apart.
Through the glass window along the corridor, he unexpectedly caught sight of a completely different Xi Ting.
Xi Ting stood in the very center of the crowd, dressed in a pristine white lab coat, his features veiled in layers of frost. There was not a trace of warmth in his eyes. His words were concise, his tone indifferent, and his composure flawless. From beginning to end, he showed no unnecessary expression or hint of softness.
Distant, cold, unfeeling, keeping everyone at arm's length.
Nothing like the disheveled man from that day.
This Xi Ting made him want to hide him away, where no one else could see him.
As the long night neared dawn, Yan Longshi led a group of heteromorphs in fleeing the country. He wanted to take Xi Ting with him, but Xi Ting calmly and decisively injected him in the neck while he was unprepared.
The Empire's strongest fighter, the mightiest heteromorph, Yan Longshi, collapsed on the spot. Unable to believe it, he asked, resentful, "Why?"
Xi Ting crouched in front of him. "I am the seventeenth Duke of the Sisting family, the seventh prince's betrothed, the head of the military research institute, and the Empire's chief scientist. Did you really think I would flee into exile with a mongrel like you?"
Yan Longshi knew Xi Ting wasn't like that. Xi Ting was passionate and pure. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the people's welfare. He truly loved him. "The Empire isn't worth you doing this..."
Xi Ting smiled. "This has nothing to do with you. Go. And in this life... don't let me see you again."
He watched Yan Longshi's teammates carry him away. Smoke and gunfire filled the air. Prosperity and darkness, glory and disgrace, would all be destroyed along with the Empire. He was the Empire's legacy, and he should be buried with it.
"I told you I hated you, but you just wouldn't believe me."
Love is not a sin, but a mistake even more fatal than sin.
[Reading Guide]
1. Yan Longshi is the seme, and Xi Ting is the uke. A heteromorph officer and a cloned scientist.
2. At heart, this is about an incredibly powerful, flirtatious B-king seme and a composed uke who loves watching him and indulges him.
3. There will be angst, but it will be very sweet too!
4. This is my take on interstellar sci-fi. The author gets to define all the terminology.
Theme: Always be free
