The Fake Son Wants to Live [BL]

Chapter 264: Chapter 264 - Fallen ship

Pouting, Jian trudged back into the small house, the faint scent of smoke and soil clinging to his clothes. Inside, the low murmur of morning voices met him — Li Wang and Nansich were already awake, crouched by the stove, boiling the handful of potatoes they’d dug from the backyard garden. The air was warm with steam and the faint sweetness of earth.

”Hey, you’re up early,” Nansich said, glancing over his shoulder with a grin and nudging Jian lightly. ”How about a quick spar after breakfast?”

Jian only nodded, lips still curved downward, his pout making him look like a sulky child.

”What’s with that cute pout?” Nansich teased, leaning in to pinch the edge of Jian’s lip.

”Don’t,” Jian muttered, swatting his hand away with a scowl. ”I’m pissed.”

He plopped down at the rough wooden table, grabbed a hot potato straight from the pot, and bit into it without waiting for it to cool. The steam burned his tongue, but he didn’t care. He chewed in silence, glaring at the wall as if it had wronged him.

Just then, a door creaked open. Xing Yu stepped out, hair slightly mussed, eyes still heavy with sleep. Their gazes collided — Jian froze mid-bite, cheeks puffed full like a hamster, while Xing Yu paused in the doorway, equally frozen.

The silence stretched uncomfortably before Xing Yu cleared his throat and crossed the room, sitting down opposite him.

”Good morning,” Jian mumbled through his mouthful.

”Morning,” Xing Yu replied evenly, though his eyes lingered a fraction too long.

Nansich’s gaze flicked between them. ”What’s with you two? You’re acting weird.”

Li Wang joined in with a smirk. ”They’re having a lovers’ spat.”

Jian’s head shot up. ”We are not!”

”We’re not,” Xing Yu agreed, his tone calm but his ears betraying a faint red hue.

”Sure you’re not,” Li Wang said with a snort.

Jian puffed his cheeks again, turning sharply away, his face tinged pink.

”You’re blushing, Jian,” Nansich sing-songed, grinning wide.

”Shut up,” Jian snapped, pushing back his chair so fast it scraped across the floor. ”I’m going outside.”

He stomped toward the door, the back of his neck burning. As the door closed behind him, Xing Yu’s lips twitched — just slightly — into a quiet smile before he looked back down at his food.

Li Wang leaned closer to Nansich, whispering, ”Definitely a lovers’ spat.”

Xing Yu sighed, voice low. ”Just eat.”

Outside, the sunlight hit Jian’s face, cool air cutting through his embarrassment. He froze when he saw Eren leaning lazily against the fence, arms crossed, that familiar teasing smile tugging at his lips.

”Oh, god...” Jian muttered under his breath, face heating all over again. ”I just want to be alone for once.”

Before Eren could open his mouth, Jian spun around and bolted, boots thudding against the earth as he sprinted toward the orchard.

The morning air bit at his cheeks, his breath coming in quick bursts. He ran past the rows of old apple trees, their branches heavy with ripening fruit, until he was deep enough that the world fell quiet again. The sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, dappling the ground with soft gold.

Panting, Jian leaned against a rough trunk, his heart still racing. He closed his eyes. ”I want to be close to him...” he whispered, voice trembling, ”but I don’t want to get pregnant...”

The words sounded absurd, echoing softly in the empty orchard. He blinked, then frowned at himself. ”Pregnant,” he repeated under his breath, touching his stomach. ”That’s... impossible. I’m a man.”

Still, the thought lingered. The image — a faint, irrational, terrifying image — made his stomach twist and his heart pound harder.

A breeze rustled through the leaves, scattering sunlight across his face like ripples of laughter. Jian tilted his head up, staring through the branches. ”Hell...” he murmured. ”I want to try it once.”

The words came out with startling honesty, and as soon as he said them, his expression hardened with quiet resolve.

If he really wanted to be with Xing Yu — if that closeness was what he craved — then he needed to prepare. He clenched his fists. ”So... I need to find a condom that fits him.”

He began pacing, muttering to himself. ”How big might he be? XL? Double XL? Would the pharmacies even have that? Probably not... but it’s worth a try.”

Fixing his hair quickly, he started down the overgrown road toward town. The gravel crunched under his boots, dry leaves snapping with each step. The world around him was quiet — too quiet — except for the whisper of wind weaving through the grass.

It had been five long years since he’d last walked this path. The road was cracked now, split apart by stubborn roots and creeping vines. The lamp posts leaned sideways like drunk sentinels, swallowed by ivy.

He passed the skeleton of an unfinished building, its steel bones now wrapped in green, flowers pushing through broken windows. Nature had taken back what humanity had left behind, and somehow, it looked more alive than before.

Jian slowed as he reached a familiar clearing. His old school — or what was left of it — lay before him, replaced by a wide crater filled with crystal-blue water. The sunlight glimmered across its surface, rabbits nibbling grass at the edges.

He stood there for a long moment, his reflection wavering in the glassy pool. ”Five years...” he whispered, voice soft. ”So much has changed.”

The world had moved on — or perhaps it had simply healed in his absence. He couldn’t tell which hurt more.

Then, the ground trembled beneath him.

A deep, mechanical rumble tore through the stillness. Jian’s head snapped up, instincts igniting like flame.

The air filled with a violent whirring — engines sputtering, metal screaming. His golden eyes scanned the horizon, catching a flash of silver between the trees.

A massive ship was falling from the sky, smoke billowing from its hull, spiraling downward in a storm of fire and debris.

For one instant, sunlight struck the side of the vessel — and there it was, the insignia, gleaming through the haze.

Jian’s heart lurched.

”It’s one of ours!” he shouted, breaking into a run. His boots tore through grass and dirt, the forest erupting with sound as he sprinted toward the clearing.

The sky roared above him, and the crash of the Farian ship shattered the morning calm.