[Ding! Target's favorability has risen 15 points and is now 72]

...

Bai Wei stood in front of the door to his apartment. He looked like he hadn't aged a day since the two had last seen each other. His hair was still the same wispy silver, his eyes looked like they could encapsulate galaxies, his skin was pale, and his face slightly boyish. The only difference was the newfound hesitation in his voice. Bai Wei now had a cowardice in his stance that wasn't there before. Bai Wei looked at him fleetingly while rocked back and forth on the ball of his feet nervously as he talked.

"Sorry for bothering you, I know you don't want to see me... but there is a problem, and I need your help" Bai Wei said while making exaggerated hand gestures.

Hu Xing was taken aback by the other's apparent lack of confidence. This was something that he had never seen from the other. Throughout the entire time they had spent together, Bai Wei had always been the very embodiment of confidence. His every move held a certain regality and self assurance that only those who had been in the position of power for a long time had. This was the first time that Bai Wei had appeared to be unsure of his next course of action.

It felt like a bird had been shot down from the air and plummeted down to the earth. It made for a sad sight but Hu Xing, the hunter, felt a small sense of pride for bringing this regal creature down to earth. It was a depiction of how much Hu Xing meant to Bai Wei.

A sense of pride flooded Hu Xing. He wanted to know and own every emotion of Bai Wei. He wanted to see every expression and be the only one to do so. Hu Xing had never known himself to be possessive until this moment, but the second he became aware the feeling invaded his entire being.

[Ding! Target's favorability has risen 10 points and is now 82]

Hu Xing calmed his emotions and asked in the most emotionless voice he could muster "What do you need?"

"...Well, the thing is that I still need a partner and because I had already declared you to be my partner I need to find another homo sapien to take your place as my partner. But Homo sapien society is too complicated and I need help finding a partner as well ad courting them. Therefore, I need your help as the one human being who knows my identity." Bai Wei rambled on nervously. He spoke so quickly that Hu Xing hoped he may have misheard however Bai Wei's expression told him otherwise.

Bai Wei needed to find another partner.... And he needed his help to do so.

Hu Xing felt a headache coming as he thought of Bai Wei being with another person. His memories of their time together seemed to be corrupted. Now Bai Wei would hug and kiss another person. They would eat his homemade meals, sleep in the same spot that he did, and wake up next to Bai Wei. Hu Xing felt his blood run cold.

Hu Xing looked up to see Bai Wei stood looking at him wholeheartedly waiting for an answer. His eyes shimmered like galaxies as he hung onto his every expression. Watching and silently decoding his every movement.

It made Hu Xing feel seen in a way he had never felt before. He knew that Bai Wei was going to understand no matter what he says next. Even if he yelled and screamed at him to leave Bai Wei would only obey like a sad puppy. It was because of this realization that Hu Xing decided to be honest.

[ Ding! Favorability has risen 7 points and is now 89]

" I don't think I'll be able to help you find another partner..."

Bai Wei looked sad and resigned for a moment. He looked down at the ground and said words of agreement half heartedly before turning to leave.

Hu Xing acted quickly seeing this and grabbed Bai Wei's hand to stop him.

"I can't help you find someone else because I'm in love with you"

Bai Wei looked up in surprise at Hu Xing. The tears that were pooling in his eyes ran down, but Bai Wei's face only held shock.

BaiWei.exe has stopped working: O.0

Hu Xing mentally rebuked himself for his choice of wording and vowed to never let Bai Wei cry again in the future. He would protect the other from all forces, including himself. He helped Bai Wei clean up the oiled tears before they started to stain his skin.

"But you hated being with me?????" Bai Wei was in such shock that his body became completely rigid. He almost resembled a statue if not for his fluid eyes.

Hu Xing chuckled at this sight and pulled Bai Wei into his embrace as he continued to talk. "I hated being in captivity, not being with you. We can probably work this out so that I still have autonomy. Maybe we could stop by earth occasionally and-"

"We could even do half and half! Half our time on earth and half among the stars!!" Bai Wei cut him off excitedly. He was starting to fully grasp the situation was more than happy to oblige his partner.

Hu Xing patted him on the head and said "That sounds amazing my love"

[Ding! Favorability has risen 7 points and is now 96]

On the other side, Bai Wei was mentally admonishing his lover for his proper communication skills while the system laughed in the background.

'I had an elaborate arc planned out that would go for at least 10 more chapters, but he ruined it all because he communicates his feelings!!!'

[well maybe the author didn't want this arc to be that long]

The hardware said while he admired the newest addition to his growing collection of funny faces made by Bai Wei. Earlier, he had snapped a photo of Bai Wei's face in shock when Bai Wei's plans were once again foiled by the target.

'Huh?'

[... nothing]

The hardware said while winking his eye to a wall in Bai Wei's mind scape. The system and the host both looked at the hardware like he was insane but, the hardware just laughed it off.