Chapter 36: The Barrier of Knowledge

“No.”

The man sniffed lightly a few more times, his nose nearly brushing her hair’s crown, the danger in his tone easing slightly, replaced by deeper curiosity.

“This scent—I know it well; I’ve encountered it; it seems like……”

Future Lu Qingqi’s heart clenched; knowing she couldn’t hide it, she bit her lip, lifting her gaze to meet his deep purple eyes.

“It’s past me.”

“He came to the future; I ran into him just now while wandering outside.”

The man blanked for a beat, then chuckled lowly, amusement and indulgence coloring his eyes and brows; he reached out, ruffling her hair.

“I see—it’s the boy version of Qiqi.”

He straightened up, turning to grab the door keys, tone as casual as meeting an old friend.

“Might as well go see him; it’s been years since I last saw you as a boy—wonder if you’re still that prickly sort.”

“No!”

The white-haired blue-eyed girl lunged, clutching his arm desperately, eyes reddening with urgency.

“You absolutely cannot see him!”

“You know what he’s like—petty, bad-tempered, holds grudges; if he finds out about you…… about us like this, he’ll blow up at you!!”

“Just these few days—don’t let him spot you, no matter what.”

The man arched a brow, letting her shake his arm, fingertip tapping lightly on her hand’s back.

“Oh?”

“Then where do you want me to go?”

“You…… you could stay out for a few days.”

Future Lu Qingqi’s eyes darted, blurting quickly,

“Treat it like a vacation for yourself; I’ll keep past me company at home, chat him up properly—once I send him off, you come back.”

But the man suddenly dropped his smile, poking her forehead, tone carrying an undeniable dominance.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“What are you two gonna talk about?”

“Something I can’t hear?”

“Or do you want to use this chance, confess everything to your past self, change the past?”

“How could I!”

The girl denied hastily, arms circling his waist, face burying into his chest, voice muffled.

“I’m already your good little wife—wholly yours; how could I think of changing the past?”

“I just…… just don’t want you meeting him; you know my old temper—chuunibyou, petty, grudge-holding; we’d definitely end up fighting.”

She lifted her head, tilting her small face up to him, eyes full of wheedling.

“Just a few days, pretty please?”

“That won’t do either.”

The man pinched her cheek, possessiveness brooking no argument.

“I have to keep you close.”

“A canary in its cage—if it touches free air, who knows when it might tire of solitude and want to flee its master?”

White-haired blue-eyed girl: ……

Help!

She shouldn’t have tried reasoning with this deviant-in-love bad man before her!!

“Fine then.”

“Since you won’t leave, just cast a [Cognitive Barrier] on him—make him unable to see you.”

“Otherwise, if he learns you’re with me, he’ll explode for sure.”

A cognitive barrier—like one leaf blinding the eye—not true disappearance, but rendering unseen; even anomalies would be auto-rationalized, a sort of alternative cognitive modification.

Once the man agreed, the white-haired blue-eyed girl finally headed out to fetch Lu Qingqi, who had bought the chilled iced red teas.

Entering the apartment, Lu Qingqi’s gaze swept the living room; he pursed his lips.

So small—not as good as my standalone villa.

Suddenly, his eyes landed on a pair of men’s dark gray slippers at the shoe-changing spot by the door; his brows lifted slightly.

“You’ve got another man at home? Why’s there a pair of men’s slippers.”

The girl’s heart jolted; she forced a smile, kicking at the shoes.

“Forgot? I’ve become a god—sometimes I shift back to male form, dress as a guy; keeping a pair of shoes is normal, right?”

“True, I’m stuck in rigid thinking.”

“I almost thought you were hiding a man here behind my back.”

Lu Qingqi laughed it off jokingly.

The white-haired blue-eyed girl inexplicably broke a sweat; she turned to shut the door, peripheral vision catching a certain man in the entryway corner—arms crossed, watching them with keen interest.

“Where am I sleeping tonight—with you?”

“I’ll tidy a room for you; make do for a few nights.”

“Then…… alright.”

Lu Qingqi plopped onto the sofa, looking left and right, finally settling his gaze on the white-haired blue-eyed girl claiming to be his “future self.”

Though he knew future him had ascended to godhood, unbound by gender—this form was still easy on the eyes!

She prepped a guest room for Lu Qingqi right next to her own bedroom—just one wall apart.

Lu Qingqi had wanted a peek at future self’s bedroom, but got shot down with “everyone deserves privacy.”

Night fell; the moon outside shone brightly.

Lu Qingqi lay on the big bed, reading a pre-cached novel—his hobbies were few, novels among them; even his chuunibyou stemmed from reading too many, fueling endless fantasies.

Deep into it, plot hitting a climax, when odd noises suddenly filtered from next door.

At first, just muffled whimpers, like a kitten teased too hard; Lu Qingqi paid little mind, figuring future self had rolled over and bumped something.

But seconds later, the sounds shifted tone—repressed gasps, fragmented muffled hums like being pressed into softness.

Lu Qingqi dropped his phone abruptly, sitting bolt upright, listening in a daze.

What…… what’s going on?

Don’t tell me she’s watching porn?

Tch!

Future self’s so open—up past midnight, skipping novels for porn, and not even using headphones, volume blasting out!

He smacked his lips, inwardly oddly approving.

After all, alone in his villa, he did the same—felt more immersive with the sound cranked up.

The noises from next door grew clearer, laced with scorching heat; interspersed were broken pleas of “don’t…… not like this……”, tails drawn out soft and long—sounding less like refusal, more like enticement.

Lu Qingqi’s heart skipped half a beat; he tried tuning it out, but the volume spiked suddenly, then plunged low—leaving only stifled, satisfied sighs, like cresting the peak at last.

In the next-door bedroom, the white-haired blue-eyed girl lay flushed and bare in the man’s arms, hair sweat-damp and clinging to cheeks and neck.

She thumped him weakly, voice hoarse and soft, nasal from recent tears.

“Jerk…… ‘me’ is right next door, and you made me call out that loud—aren’t you afraid he’ll hear?”

The man gathered her lazily, fingertips tracing her sweat-slick back, post-satiation languor in his touch.

He dipped his head, nipping the soft flesh at her chest, voice muffled but certain.

“Afraid of what? With the [Cognitive Barrier], even if he hears, he’ll chalk it up to hallucination—or…… figure you’re watching porn.”

“Besides, if he does find out, no big deal.”

“Leave gender-swapped him here; let him join our ‘neighborhood family’—wouldn’t that be livelier?”

“You’re such a bad man!”

“Already got it this good, and you still eye past ‘me’.”

The girl flushed, scolding, but lacked strength to shove him off.

The man chuckled lowly, pinching her dainty nose.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

He leaned down suddenly, warm breath against her ear, voice dropping, laced with irrefusable command.

“Darling, I’ve got a task for you tomorrow.”

“Turn that past Qiqi into a girl for me.”

The girl’s eyes flew wide, blue pupils brimming with defiance.

“No way! I won’t betray my past self!”

“I’m Lu Qingqi, forged through a thousand armies—I’ll never fail the name [Lu Qingqi]!”

“Even if I lose the next gender rivalry contest, even if I can never leave this neighborhood again, even if you cage me once more for conditioning into forced love—I won’t betray myself!!”

“Loyalty!!!”

The man said nothing, just trailing a fingertip lightly over the soft flesh at her waist.

The girl shuddered instantly, nearly melting into a puddle.

He rubbed her tailbone with his thumb, motions patient and teasing.

In moments, the white-haired blue-eyed girl crumbled, face buried in his neck, voice a mosquito’s hum.

“……As you command, Master~~”