Ziye grumbled, rolling over and turning her back to him. "I'm going to sleep."

An Junlie held her snugly from behind, dissatisfied. Just as she was about to swat his hand away, she suddenly remembered this was her room. Why the hell was An Junlie sleeping with her?

Ziye spun around sharply. An Junlie was so close that turning over pitched her right into his embrace, her head leaning against his. If his nose hadn't been so prominent, their lips would have made accidental contact.

Flustered, Ziye pushed him away. "Go back to your own room!"

An Junlie didn't move. He reached out and caught her wrist, simply smiling.

His muscles were firm, and his grip was strong. Ziye couldn't break free no matter how hard she tried. Annoyed, she tried to kick him, but he simply lifted a leg and pinned hers down as well.

Ziye instantly became like a lamb to the slaughter.

She ground her teeth in fury. "Bastard, let me go!"

An Junlie very dutifully—and perhaps too obediently—released his hold, only to immediately pull her back into his arms. The pressure was just right: not so tight that it hurt, but firm enough to prevent escape. He murmured, "Little Sister, the frigate has limited quarters. The AI dictates that two people must share a room. If you kick me out, I won't have anywhere to sleep tonight."

Ziye kicked him viciously. "Then sleep on the floor."

An Junlie, having finally secured an opportunity for close contact with her, was hardly willing to give it up. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "The metal floor is cold; it’s no good for sleeping."

Ziye exclaimed loudly, "Then sleep on the sofa!"

An Junlie covered her mouth to stop her from shouting, feigning misery. "The sofa is too short; I can't straighten my legs. Tell me, can you really bear to watch me suffer?"

Ziye: "...Alien, when did you become like this? Aren't you usually the type to create the conditions necessary to achieve your goals, no matter the difficulty?"

An Junlie thought silently to himself: Yes, but the goal I must achieve by creating conditions is holding you, not sleeping on a sofa.

Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud. He just rubbed her head gently. "Be good, you're tired. Sleep well."

Ziye glared at him, but he acted as if he hadn't noticed. He gently pressed her head down, encouraging her to snuggle deeper into his embrace. Finally satisfied, he stroked her back lightly, soothing her into sleep.

Her back was already thin, and after a month of living on the junk planet, she was practically skin and bone. The more he stroked, the more guilty he felt toward Ziye, and his hand forgot where it was supposed to be moving.

After a while, he finally brushed against a soft spot that had some flesh on it, and he instinctively squeezed it. Ziye yelped, "Bastard, where are you touching?"

An Junlie looked down. Good heavens, he had touched the wrong place.

But, man, he really wanted to touch it again.

Ziye, enraged by embarrassment, tried to slap him again. His reaction was lightning-fast; he caught her hand. To prevent her from shouting and alerting anyone else, he simultaneously sealed her mouth with his own lips.

Ziye managed a muffled sound or two, but it was fruitless.

An Junlie pecked her lips contentedly a couple of times before reluctantly letting go, whispering softly, "Be good, sleep now."

Furious, Ziye curled her legs and kicked hard into his waist, forcing him back. She shot upright, exasperated. "You told me to sleep, but then you keep bothering me. What exactly do you want?"

An Junlie looked at her, thought for a moment. What did he want?

In truth, he hadn't consciously planned anything. Everything he had done just now was purely instinctual, the urge of a man. If he absolutely had to define his intention, it was...

However, those kinds of words simply could not be spoken aloud. Otherwise, he was certain Ziye would immediately kick him out of bed and leave him to face a shut door.

He genuinely wanted to tease her, yes, but this was not the appropriate time for it. Sleep it is, then. An Junlie deliberately gave himself three feet of space, placed his hands obediently by his sides, and closed his eyes. "Sleep."

Ziye lay on her side, glaring at him. One minute, two minutes. He knew she was watching him, yet he pretended not to notice, remaining perfectly still. Seeing that he made no further outrageous moves, Ziye finally calmed down, shifted further into the bed, and closed her eyes. She had been extremely exhausted lately; the moment her eyes closed, she was asleep.

A while later, An Junlie quietly opened his eyes and slowly turned his head. Listening to her deep, steady breathing, a smile touched his lips. He shifted closer to her, tucked the blanket securely over her, and pulled her back into his embrace once more.

Her body was impossibly soft.

The impulse he had managed to suppress instantly flared up again.

He let out a silent groan. This night, too, was destined to be sleepless! Before this, he couldn't sleep because he was worried about Ziye. After seeing her, that worry had morphed into impulse, and he still couldn't sleep.

But certain things needed to happen at the right time and in the right place. Despite the intensity of his current urges, all he could do was hold her—hold her, and absolutely nothing more.

There was a saying: to remain unmoved while embracing beauty.

He once believed his self-control was exceptional; he could dismiss any beautiful woman who threw herself at him without a second thought. Now, he finally understood: the concept of 'remaining unmoved' depended entirely on the person. When the woman in his arms was precisely the one he desired, even the slightest lapse in discipline could lead to complete loss of control.

An Junlie thought this, and couldn't resist lightly kissing Ziye’s lips. The night was short, but the girl was asleep. What could he do? Such things required mutual feeling. Moreover, he felt Ziye definitely wasn't thinking along those lines yet.

Sighing, An Junlie suppressed the urge to press her body beneath his, shifted slightly to the side, and commanded himself: Calm, calm, just be calm...

After a month, Ziye finally slept soundly in a soft, high bed again. When she woke up, An Junlie was gone, and her clothes were all properly on. Her mind settled slightly—the fellow might be frustrating sometimes, but overall, he was reliable.

After eating breakfast in the mess hall and disembarking the frigate, An Junlie had already selected the ten candidates he would bring back to space. The G-system little loli once again demonstrated her brutally simple naming method: the ten were named Chi, Cheng, Huang, Lü, Qing, Lan, Zi, Hei, Bai, and Hong (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Violet, Black, White, Red). She just added 'Little' in front of them and called it a day, even fooling the young man by claiming their names translated to this in the universal galactic language.

The youths believed her and went along with it.

Fortunately, Xiao Bai, Xiao Cheng, and Xiao Hei were all selected, and their names remained unchanged. Otherwise, Ziye genuinely wouldn't have known what to say.

The ten youths each had their strengths. Xiao Bai, Xiao Huang, and Xiao Lü were skilled with machinery; Xiao Hei and Xiao Cheng had a better aptitude for metallurgy; Xiao Chi, Xiao Qing, and the others were particularly good fighters; Xiao Lan, Xiao Zi, and Xiao Hong had well-rounded capabilities.

However, taking only ten people caused strong resentment among the planet's other inhabitants. An Junlie explained, "Leaving the planet isn't the only path to real development. They can bring back advanced technology, and you can use that technology to thrive here. We will develop interstellar orbits in the future. As long as we connect with space, everyone here will be able to enter and leave the planet freely."

The ruling authority rushed out, shouting, "I don't care who you take, but the Goddess must stay!"