Bai Liu calmly replied, "You're wrong. I didn't turn red — it's just the reflection of the light."
Spades: "???"
But it did look red, even under the ears, all the way down to the collarbone…
He couldn't see much further down, perhaps because it wasn't as red there.
Noticing Spades leaning closer, as if to look, Bai Liu immediately covered his eyes and scolded him in a breathy, cold voice: "Don't look. Pay attention to the plot."
But the plot… now, the plot was…
After realizing that Spades was listening intently to the two men above, Bai Liu regretted his suggestion.
Sexual customs varied by region. Guy and Alex likely came from a relatively liberal area. Their style in bed was unrestrained; they could say anything when in love — even some explicit name-calling.
"Poke my g-spot hard."
Spades repeated it word for word, seriously. He turned to Bai Liu. "Is this related to the main plot? Whose G-spot am I supposed to poke hard?"
Bai Liu: "…"
He tried to calm himself. "No, it's nothing to do with you."
"Oh." Spades pressed again. "Where is the G-spot?"
Bai Liu quickly said, "You don't need to know. It has nothing to do with you, the main mission, or these two NPCs!"
At that moment, Guy on the bed let out a long sigh of pleasure. "—You're going to stab me to death, Alex."
Spades, still in his upright, judgmental tone, said, "Listen — he's going to be stabbed to death. I think after this NPC is alienated and turned into a monster, the g-spot will probably be his weakness. We should learn how to poke it…"
Bai Liu slammed a hand over Spades' eyes and another over his mouth, sternly interrupting: "Shut up!"
But Spades had entered an unshakable state of inquiry. He was convinced it was plot-related and had to know why.
He yanked Bai Liu's hands away, ready to continue, but froze when he saw Bai Liu's expression.
"You're even redder than before, Bai Liu," Spades said, startled.
Bai Liu: "…"
Spades noticed the murderous look in Bai Liu's eyes and the gun trained on his heart, so he wisely changed the subject.
"What exactly is the G-spot?" he asked, adopting a businesslike seriousness. "What weapon did Alex use to poke Guy's G-spot? A gun?"
Bai Liu: "…"
In a sense, Spades wasn't wrong.
Bai Liu exhaled slowly. He realized today's topic was not going to be resolved easily.
Spades was sometimes just as curious as Xie Ta had been as a child. When he wanted to know something, he had to know.
"The g-spot is a human anatomical structure," Bai Liu said, putting on a scholarly tone to placate him. "Generally, every man has one. It's not special, so it's unlikely to be a weakness for these two NPCs."
Spades, still confused, asked, "Really? But I've studied human anatomy. Why didn't I know men had this?"
The human anatomy class had been taught by the Reverse God, using the People's Education Press health textbook for primary and secondary students. It focused on the weak points of the body that could neutralize an opponent's attack. Sexuality had only been briefly mentioned — strictly heterosexual reproduction. The G-spot was irrelevant knowledge for Spades.
"So… where is your g-spot?" Spades asked.
Bai Liu reflexively answered, "I don't have a g-spot."
"You just said all men have one," Spades reproached.
Before Bai Liu could respond, Spades looked at him in sudden realization. "—Are you a woman?"
"That's not right…" Spades' eyes scanned Bai Liu's chest. "I just touched your body. You don't have female secondary sexual characteristics."
Bai Liu: "…"
He took a deep breath. "I don't have a g-spot, but I am male."
Spades nodded, drawing a conclusion. "I learned in the textbook that sexual characteristics in men and women aren't always obvious. You're intersex…"
Bai Liu couldn't take it. "Shut up!"
Spades hesitated. "Behind you…"
"I don't have a G-spot back there either. So shut up," Bai Liu said calmly.
"Hey," Guy's soft, teasing voice came from behind him. "Looks like we've disturbed your little discussion?"
Bai Liu froze for a moment, then slowly turned his head.
Guy was half-kneeling on the floor, clothes disheveled, smiling, and stretching a hand toward him. "—Decided to come out now, or do you want to discuss it a bit longer?"
Bai Liu: "…"
Spades chimed in innocently. "I just wanted to say there's someone behind you."
Bai Liu exhaled deeply, reached for Guy's hand, and was pulled from under the bed.
Alex, cleaning up himself and the mess on the bed, gave them a sharp look at Bai Liu's clothes.
"Relax, Alex," Guy said, still smiling. He leaned lazily against the bed, collar open, eyes soft and approachable. "Even if they aren't in our camp uniforms, they shouldn't be enemy troops."
Guy teased Bai Liu. "Otherwise, they'd have shot you when you took off your pants and climbed on me instead of discussing our sex life under the bed."
Bai Liu: "…"
How much of their conversation had they heard…
Alex instantly blushed and shouted, "Guy—!!"
Guy laughed and raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I was wrong."
Spades, emerging from under the bed, stood obediently next to Bai Liu. Noticing Alex's blush, he leaned in and whispered, slightly amused, "Bai Liu, this guy turns red just like you."
Bai Liu: "…"
Guy, an experienced veteran having served longer than Alex, smiled knowingly at them. "Did you young men sneak over from town to see what it's like to fight in a war?"
A few dozen kilometers from the border, a remote town with an army base had suddenly become bustling. Its underdeveloped economy was boosted by soldiers spending their pay on entertainment: pubs, brothels, hotels, even cigarette shops — like Tom in the neighboring tent.
In the eyes of the original residents of this small town, these soldiers — including some well-dressed officers — were like nobles, walking through clouds of gunpowder, lavishly enjoying the finest tobacco and alcohol, and sleeping with the prettiest girls in town.
It was, without a doubt, the best recruitment advertisement ever.
Many young people in the town began to dream of joining the army, sneaking to the front lines to inquire about life as a soldier.
This wasn't the first time Guy had encountered such eager youths. He looked at Bai Liu and Spades with a helpless, compassionate expression. "Now that you've seen what war is really like, how can you still want to join?"
The moment Bai Liu opened his mouth, both his and Spades' system interfaces popped up:
[System prompt: Congratulations to player Bai Liu for triggering the main plot mission — helping NPC Alex win the war.]
[System prompt: Congratulations to player Spades for triggering the main plot mission — helping NPC Alex win the war.]
Bai Liu glanced at Spades and answered Guy's question with a smile: "Of course."
Guy sighed helplessly. "I understand why you want to come, but there's a better way — you're still so young. No need to gamble."
He looked up at Bai Liu earnestly. "The reason I joined the war? Because I had no better choice. My parents' family didn't accept me —"
Guy gestured to himself. "Whether it was my sexual orientation, lack of ambition, or poor academic performance, they were a privileged upper-class family. I lived freely, like someone from the lower class. They didn't even want to give me the family name and forced me into the army to 'improve myself.'"
"They hoped the war would baptize me into a proper nobleman."
Alex sat quietly beside Guy, holding his hand. Guy returned the gesture, smiling genuinely. "—But obviously, my definition of a man is different from theirs."
He winked at Bai Liu. "They think men shouldn't have a G-spot. I think it's a very comfortable thing to have."
Bai Liu: "…"
How much had they heard?!
Alex lowered his head and hissed through clenched teeth: "Guy!!"
"When the war ends, I'll get plenty of money and live well."
Guy turned to Alex. "This is my lover, Alex. He was originally a medical student who wanted to continue his studies. But in the past two years, admission to top universities required senior medical personnel to write recommendation letters — for example, from a noble."
"Alex's family is commoners. He couldn't get such a recommendation. But he had a noble pursuit of medicine, so he joined the army."
Guy turned to Bai Liu. "By serving, you can establish merits as a soldier. The government then rewards you with the opportunity to enter any high-end university."
He looked at Bai Liu tenderly. "Look — we all know why we stand on the battlefield. It's not for the war itself, nor for exaggerated recruitment ads. What about you?"
Bai Liu met Guy's gaze. "We know too — we're here for the end of the war."
"If the war doesn't end, it will soon reach the small town behind us."
Bai Liu adopted a persona that fit Guy's worldview: a young man from a small town who loves peace, his hometown, and has a high ideological sense.
As expected, Guy responded. He stared at Bai Liu with a glimmer in his eyes. "…You're right. You're a very good young man."
Alex, wary, held his gun but waited silently as Guy spoke. But when Guy said, "You're a very good young man," Alex's vigilance toward Bai Liu doubled instantly. He raised his gun. "Guy thinks you're harmless, but I don't."
Guy pressed Alex's gun down. "Hey, he's a good lad. Maybe we can be a little friendly."
Alex, infuriated, loaded a bullet, stared at Bai Liu, and said in a low voice: "A good lad? There can only be one good lad in this tent."
[System prompt: The main NPC in the plot mission has a jealous reaction toward player Bai Liu; favorability is declining sharply. If it falls below the red line, player Bai Liu will automatically exit the main plot mission!]
Bai Liu: "…"
He had overplayed his persona.
Alex leveled the gun at Bai Liu's forehead. "You'd better tell the truth. What did you discuss under the bed?"
Bai Liu had already noticed Alex's hostility. Whatever he said now would decrease favorability. So he looked at Spades to answer.
Spades responded straight-faced: "We were discussing the G-spot. Bai Liu says he doesn't have one, but I think he should. I was trying to find it, but he wouldn't tell me. I hadn't found it before we came out from under the bed."
Bai Liu: "…"
Alex: "..."
Guy: "…"
Alex lowered his gun, face flushed. He scratched his head, looking at Bai Liu and Spades with wide eyes. "…God, are you actually a couple too?!"
Guy drawled, pointing at them ambiguously: "You're here in this small tent just like us — to have an affair? You've got some nerve!"
"Seems we disturbed you. You must've been here first."
He gave Bai Liu's waist a meaningful sweep. "But it looks like you haven't gotten to the point yet?"
[System prompt: Alex's favorability has sharply increased; player Bai Liu has been included in the main plot again.]
[System prompt: Guy's favorability has sharply increased.]
Bai Liu, about to argue, closed his mouth. He adjusted the gun slightly, glanced at Spades, and smiled warmly. "Well, yes. He and I are a couple."
Spades, sensing a strong killing intent from Bai Liu, looked confused.
Spades: "???"
He had misread the situation again.