Chapter 64 Longyearbyen

Chapter 64 Longyearbyen

Svalbard Archipelago, Longyearbyen, the northernmost city in the world.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the Arctic Circle was blessed with a rare spell of clear weather. A blizzard was imminent, but the plane managed to touch down at Longyearbyen Airport just before the weather turned.

In January, the Arctic Circle is in the midst of polar night. Upon landing, they caught the rare blue hour of the polar night, with the sky displaying a deep, serene blue.

Meng Yao was clad in the thin loungewear he’d been wearing at home, bundled in a blanket from the plane. As he stepped out of the cabin, the cold Arctic wind made him shiver.

Snowflakes stung his face. About thirty hours after he’d been convinced that his family’s enemies had broken into his home to kidnap him… he finally realized, in a daze, that his uncle had whisked him away to the Arctic—for a *vacation*.

Meng Yao wanted to shout, but no sound came out as snowflakes filled his mouth. "Cough, cough, cough—"

"Put on another layer; you don’t want to catch a cold," he heard the warm, concerned voice of his childhood friend. He pulled the blanket tighter, thinking that his uncle, after all, cared about his nephew’s future, trying to play matchmaker…

Meng Yao’s face hardened as he braced himself to coldly receive his childhood friend’s concern. He hadn’t spoken to him these days; Meng Yao had his pride. But when he turned, he saw Chi Jue’s back, tenderly wrapping a coat around his younger brother, not even sparing him a glance.

Meng Yao: '...'

His expression cold, his half-extended hand retreated into the blanket, as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, his ever-so-helpful uncle casually slipped his hand into the younger Chi brother’s down jacket sleeve, clasping his hand.

He even noticed a crack in the stoic, AI-like expression of the eldest Chi brother. Meng Yao was sure Chi Yan had seen his uncle’s move, and his uncle knew it—evidenced by Xu Huaiting’s polite, friendly smile directed at the eldest brother. But Chi Yan might not have taken it that way.

Meng Yao suspected the eldest Chi brother rolled up his sleeves not to cool off or relax, but to plant his fist in Xu Huaiting’s face.

But in the end, the tension fizzled out. The group simmered with undercurrents, maintaining a facade of harmony, and nothing came of it.

Ye Man hadn’t been sleeping well lately. The waiting was agonizing, and after such a long flight, he was completely drained.

He’d said he wanted to come to Svalbard, but now that he was here, he seemed utterly indifferent. This was unlike him, but those around him didn’t press for an explanation. They simply accompanied him, hoping to lift his spirits without prying.

Normally, as the life of the party, Ye Man wouldn’t be such a downer. But now, he couldn’t muster the energy to even pretend.

When idle, Ye Man would mentally call out to the system, but there was still no reply.

Xu Huaiting brushed his cold cheek: "We’re in Longyearbyen. The doctor said you should keep your emotions stable, avoiding extreme highs and lows. Too much joy or sorrow isn’t good for your eyes. Cheer up, and if there’s anything you want, tell me."

Ye Man: "How do you know?" He hadn’t told anyone what the doctor had said.

Xu Huaiting smirked smugly: "What don’t I know? If I want to, I can know anything."

His poking finger pressed a bit harder, sinking into the soft flesh.

"Boasting," Ye Man grabbed the mischievous finger, holding it in his hand to control it, muttering, "And this is invading my privacy."

Xu Huaiting raised an eyebrow, helping him adjust the scarf messed up by the wind.

As he leaned closer, Ye Man heard him ask calmly, "Can’t I?"

"What?"

"Invade your privacy."

He said these words with a calm and ordinary tone.

Ye Man's heart raced, and he pulled his scarf tighter around his chin.

After a pause, he replied, "Yeah."

His cheeks flushed slightly, and his voice was muffled by the scarf. It was easy to miss if you weren't paying attention.

Since they were in a relationship, it was only natural for Xu Huaiting to want to know about his condition. However, Ye Man sensed that Xu Huaiting was hinting at something more, though he wasn't sure what exactly. It was just an instinctive feeling.

Xu Huaiting continued, "I have the right, so it's not an intrusion. It's exercising my rights. The objection is overruled, and I expect the plaintiff to cooperate next time."

"Will you cooperate?" Xu Huaiting asked.

Ye Man thought for a moment and answered, "Yeah."

As they spoke, Xu Huaiting was carefully adjusting his scarf, maybe because Ye Man had done a poor job of it earlier. Xu Huaiting's fingers brushed against his neck, and Ye Man felt ticklish, instinctively flinching. Xu Huaiting softly told him not to move.

"Your scarf's a mess, let me fix it."

Ye Man had no choice but to tolerate the gentle touch, fighting the urge to pull away, which was quite a struggle.

He hoped he wouldn't have to endure this again.

Having his scarf adjusted felt almost torturous. The skin on his neck, rarely touched, was extra sensitive.

Whenever Xu Huaiting's fingertips brushed against it, it sent a slight shiver down Ye Man's spine.

He watched as Ye Man tried to control his instinctive reactions, failing a few times before he thought about bolting.

But now, Ye Man had to force himself to lean into Xu Huaiting's hand.

"Hmm?" Xu Huaiting's fingers pressed a little harder on his neck, and Ye Man looked up in confusion. Xu Huaiting's movements paused almost imperceptibly before he smiled and said, "I didn't mean to press so hard. Did I hurt you?"

Ye Man shook his head, still confused, and hesitated, "No, it doesn't hurt..."

Xu Huaiting: "Then I'll be more careful. If I accidentally hurt you, let me know."

Ye Man: "Okay."

It was just tying a scarf, how much could it hurt?

Sure enough, Xu Huaiting controlled it well afterward, only occasionally brushing against him, within what Ye Man could tolerate.

The two of them huddled together, whispering, deliberately keeping their voices low. Amid the howling wind outside, those standing nearby could only catch fragments of their conversation.

Chi Yan walked over and interrupted them, "The car is here."

By now, Ye Man felt a bit lighter in his heart, no longer as suppressed as before.

He mentally psyched himself up.

If he failed before, so be it. This time, he had to succeed.

There was just one problem.

In the plot, there was a scene involving rich second-generation heirs...

Xu Huaiting and Chi Yan, they should count as rich second-generation heirs... right?

Ye Man, Xu Huaiting, and Chi Yan boarded the car first, while Meng Yao stayed behind. Chi Jue said he had forgotten something and went back to retrieve it.

When they arrived at the villa where they were staying this time, Chi Yan noticed that Meng Yao had an extra down jacket on. It looked familiar.

He glanced at Chi Jue but kept quiet.

Once inside the house, when it came time to assign rooms, Chi Yan's demeanor grew even colder.

The villa they were staying at in Longyearbyen had been arranged by Xu Huaiting. Chi Yan had been busy dealing with flight issues and hadn't had time to arrange the accommodations. By the time the flight issues were resolved, the lodging had already been arranged.

Since Ye Man had decided to join the trip at the last minute, the schedule was tight, and there were many problems to solve. There was no need to argue over such a small matter, so Chi Yan quietly let Xu Huaiting handle it.

Now, the problem came up.

The villa was large and spacious, but not counting the attic, there were only four rooms.

But there were five of them.

Meng Yao said, "During school trips, Xiao Jue and I often shared a room. We can just stay together."

Ye Man's stomach dropped. "No!"

If they were going to share a room, what was he supposed to do? Was he just going to lock the door? That couldn't be right!

He quickly pulled Chi Jue. "I'll share with Second Brother! We've slept together before!"

Well, not really.

On the morning of the first day of junior high, Ye Man was found sleeping in a closet by his family. Later that day, after the issue of going to Svalbard was resolved, Chi Yan had a talk with him.

Ye Man didn't elaborate. He insisted it was just a small habit of his and told them not to worry too much.

Although he was scared, he could figure it out on his own and didn't need others to worry about him.

Chi Yan wasn't so easily fooled and eventually got him to confess.

Ye Man finally admitted, "I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

"..."

"Does sleeping in a closet make you feel safer?"

"Yeah."

This answer left Chi Yan speechless for a long time.

Ye Man was used to being alone. His first reaction to any problem was to figure it out on his own, rather than asking his family for help.

He didn't even want people to know he was in trouble, trying to quietly fix the problem on his own and then appear in front of everyone as if nothing had happened, showing no signs of abnormality.

He wanted to look happy because that's what made people like him. No one liked someone who was always miserable, and even crying had its limits.

"Xiao Man..." Chi Yan let out a long, heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Ye Man thought he was going to be scolded, that he had done something wrong, but Chi Yan didn't say anything.

That night, it was Chi Jue who stayed with him and shared the room.

"Don't sleep in the closet; it's not comfortable."

"I'll stay with you. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Ye Man wanted to refuse, but the words stuck in his throat.

That night, his mind was still in turmoil over what had happened to Brother Tong, but he didn't run to the closet in fear again.

When Ye Man woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, Chi Jue woke up too. He hadn't known Ye Man had nightmares at night, but now he understood a little more. Seeing Ye Man drenched in sweat, he softly comforted him through the blanket until he fell back asleep.

Half-asleep, a thought crossed Ye Man's mind:

So, when you're scared at night, you can ask someone to stay with you.

Even though they'd only shared a room for one night, Ye Man spoke as if he and Chi Jue were so close they lived together every day.

He had a vague feeling Chi Jue wouldn't call him out on his little act.

And he was right.

Chi Jue thought the arrangement was fine too.

Xu Huaiting, however, disagreed.

With a half-smile, he grabbed the back of Ye Man's collar and pulled him away from Chi Jue's arm. He said to Chi Yan, who frowned at the gesture, "No offense, but Xiao Man and Chi Jue aren't blood brothers, right? They're not related by blood, nor do they have the bond of brothers who grew up together. Chi Jue was even engaged to Meng Yao... Hmm... It's not appropriate for them to share a room, is it?"

Chi Yan sneered, "If not with Chi Jue, then with you?" His tone was suspicious.

Xu Huaiting smiled, "Don't worry, I'll keep my distance too."

Chi Yan's expression darkened, and Meng Yao's eyes widened in shock.

If they were truly innocent, why would they need to avoid suspicion?

His words... What did he mean by that?

Ye Man swallowed hard. His scalp prickled.

Everyone knew the trip was for Ye Man, and though the atmosphere was tense, no real conflict broke out.

Chi Yan and Chi Jue knew they couldn't leave Ye Man alone, so it was decided Chi Yan would share a room with him, while the others had their own rooms.

As they talked, the weather outside turned worse, with wind and snow battering the windows.

Ye Man thought to himself that if everything went well, he'd spend the night alone in the attic, not sharing a room with anyone.

He felt a bit unsure.

Because the positions of the rich kids who would lock him up had been replaced by Chi Yan and Xu Huaiting. This incident was sudden, and Ye Man didn't know who the rich kids mentioned in the book were, nor could he call so many people on such short notice.

So, would Brother Tong and Ricardo lock him up?

If they knew he was up to no good... Ye Man twisted his clothes, his drooping eyelashes trembling uneasily.

Ricardo...

After tonight, would he break up with him?

He really had no other choice.

If we don't do this, what will happen to Brother Tong?

Ye Man's hands twisted tighter and tighter.

"I've stocked up some food in the fridge in advance," Xu Huaiting said to Ye Man. "Is there anything else you particularly want to eat? We should get it before the snowstorm hits."

"There's a global seed vault on the island, a place that collects seeds from all over the world. They say that if doomsday ever comes, this will be humanity's hope. The glass on the outside of the seed vault building glows with a stunning green light. When the weather clears up, I'll take you to see it?"

Ye Man nodded in agreement.

But in his heart, he was thinking, once the weather clears, he will leave because of him.