Chapter 88 If: Modern Extra 1

Chapter 88 If: Modern AU Side Story 1

When Bai Yu woke up, the sunlight streamed in perfectly, and the crystal-blue ocean stretched endlessly before him. From the balcony, the outline of land was almost invisible.

He was on a luxury liner.

The ship had set sail from Benoa (a port in Bali), passing through Sri Lanka and Petra before crossing the Suez Canal and docking in Naples—a journey of nearly thirty days, traversing vast stretches of unregulated open seas.

This multinational trip was a company perk. Bai Yu’s boss, who was also his friend, had paid an exorbitant fare to invite him along for the journey.

Today was the fourth day of the trip.

It took Bai Yu two minutes to fully wake up. Subconsciously, he reached out to one side, as if trying to pull something into his arms—a motion so natural it had become second nature, as though he had done it countless mornings before.

Yet his grasp found only emptiness.

Beside him were chilly, empty sheets, devoid of anything. Bai Yu slowly sat up, frowning at his palm, a sense of displeasure creeping over him.

It seemed he had forgotten something important.

He thought hard but couldn’t place it, so he shrugged it off. After freshening up, he headed to the dining hall for breakfast.

The cruise offered a buffet-style breakfast. By the time Bai Yu arrived, his boss was already seated at their usual spot, waving him over.

The pet hospital Bai Yu worked at had actually been operating at a loss. The clinic used state-of-the-art medical gear and paid top salaries to hire the best doctors, yet its fees were not high. His boss, Lewis, was an idealistic trust-fund type—a freewheeling playboy—and the investment in the hospital was pocket change to him. He simply enjoyed the joy of healing cats and dogs and didn’t want owners to abandon treatment due to costs.

Bai Yu was the most skilled doctor he had hired, and their meeting had been rather unusual. They had first crossed paths in a bar in City A, where Lewis had been utterly smitten by Bai Yu’s looks and bought him drinks—only to realize afterward that they were both strictly tops (dominant partners).

Two stone tops couldn’t be partners, so they became friends instead.

Bai Yu set his tray down across from him, and Lewis hooked an arm around the doctor’s shoulder. “Hey, tonight at the top-deck bar—I reserved a booth. You *have* to come.”

Bai Yu removed his hand. “I know.”

He warned his boss, “We’re sailing through international waters these next couple of days. Be careful.”

The cruise they were on was an international liner, and the gambling industry had always been a major revenue source for the company. Aside from bars, the ship legally housed a casino—right next to the bar, without even a wall separating them.

Lewis brushed it off.

That night, they walked into the bar side by side.

Though Bai Yu didn’t drink often, he was something of a connoisseur, able to distinguish quality at a single sip. They took seats in the main area, with Lewis opting for hard liquor that hits fast while Bai Yu, disinterested, only ordered a light cocktail.

Two drinks in, Lewis began scanning the room for lone, flirtatious young men.

For a playboy like him, hooking up at bars was routine.

Bai Yu, however, was preoccupied with a nagging sense of loss from earlier. His heart ached with emptiness, as though he had lost something vital. The partygoers held no appeal for him—until, by chance, he glanced up and froze.

At a card table to his right sat an ethnically ambiguous beauty.

They looked exotic, with dramatically sharp features and lake-blue eyes more dazzling than the most precious gemstones. They lounged lazily against the table, idly toying with chips like a pampered housecat with nothing to do.

Yet the pile of chips before them was staggering—enough to ensure the cruise company would rake in a fortune from this voyage alone.

Bai Yu couldn’t help but stare a moment longer.

The person was dressed meticulously, wrapped in a suede-lined cape that covered every inch of skin, not leaving even a sliver exposed. Even their slender fingers were sheathed in form-fitting leather gloves as they lightly swirled a glass of red wine.

And by his side, there were even bodyguards following him.

In short, a stunning mixed-race beauty of noble birth and extravagant habits.

His gaze lingered too long, and Liu also looked over. Then his face turned pale, and he sobered up slightly.

Under cover of the table, he stomped hard on Bai Yu's foot and whispered, "Hey man, you trying to hit on him? Are you out of your mind?"

Bai Yu withdrew his gaze. "You know who he is?"

Liu: "See that family crest on his chest? Notice that?"

Liu grew up abroad; his family was in business, so he understood these intricacies much better than Bai Yu.

"This ship's a real mixed crowd, all kinds of people are here. This one is probably from a wealthy faction in Country B, with deep entanglements between politics and business, considerable influence... Anyway, you don’t need to know so much, just understand that offending him would be disastrous."

Bai Yu slightly raised an eyebrow. "No kidding?"

Liu nodded vigorously. "More than you can imagine."

He leaned close to Bai Yu's ear, speaking in a volume almost inaudible to others. "Anyway, I think I’ve figured out his name—from the Horadriel family. He was originally an overlooked child from the main family’s branch, but somehow suddenly became the one in charge. They say he's ruthless. After taking over, he brought the other branches to heel. In short, not someone I can afford to offend... Oh, and you definitely can’t either."

He kicked Bai Yu again. "If you see him, steer clear, got it? Otherwise, if you get thrown into the open sea, I won’t be responsible for fishing you out, capisce?"

Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, noncommittal. "So what’s his name?"

Despite Liu’s warning, Bai Yu had a strange sixth sense—that cat-like beauty wouldn’t harm him. If possible, Bai Yu even wanted to buy him a drink.

But after glancing at the pile of chips in front of the beauty, he quietly shook his head.

—Someone that rich didn’t need his treat.

Liu leaned even closer. "Alright, since you're so curious, I’ll tell you. You can even go check if what I’m saying is true. His name is Imuir, Imuir Horadriel."

Bai Yu: "The name sounds nice."

He let the name "Imuir" roll off his tongue, the rhythm oddly familiar.

They had a few more drinks, and Liu was getting buzzed. He staggered to his feet, bought a couple of chips, and went to try his hand at a small table. Meanwhile, Bai Yu sat alone in the corner, draining his glass of sake.

He completely failed to notice the cat-like beauty fussing with his tie unnaturally—every accessory here was carefully chosen, even the seemingly careless demeanor.

Seeing the doctor only glance a few times before looking away, he unconsciously frowned.

Bai Yu, meanwhile, ordered another drink. When the waiter brought it, he sipped while pulling out his phone to search for the cat-like beauty’s family.

The Horadriel family was indeed a prestigious one, starting with oil and mining in the early years, later expanding into all sorts of industries. Internal family matters weren’t publicly searchable, but Bai Yu did find some gossip—like "The Untold Secret Romances of Past Family Heads" or "Who Will Inherit the Throne?"

Casually flipping through, he even found one that stood out—"The Old Patriarch’s Secrets: Once Gave Rubies to Over Thirty Young Models."

He clicked in and read that the old patriarch was particularly philandering. If he fancied someone at a banquet, he’d gift them a ruby. If the person was willing, they’d take the ruby to his room that night, and the patriarch would give them anything they desired.

Bai Yu had little interest in such irrelevant matters. After finishing his drink, he stood up, gave Liu at the card table a heads-up, and went upstairs to sleep.

On the way, he happened to pass Imuir’s table, but the doctor disliked stirring trouble or provoking those beyond his reach. So he controlled his gaze, not looking at him, just calmly passing by like any ordinary passerby.

As he left the card table area, a sharp crack came from behind him.

Bai Yu remained completely unaware.

He returned to his bedroom and slept soundly until dawn. Before he could fully wake up, a knock came at the door.

Assuming it was Lewis, he rolled out of bed, only to find an attendant dressed like a dealer outside. The man hesitated briefly before quickly explaining to Bai Yu that Lewis had been detained and wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.

Bai Yu's eyebrow twitched. The attendant gestured and spoke rapidly, finally making the situation clear.

Lewis had drunk too much the night before, went overboard with gambling, and lost control. He’d exhausted his funds and ended up deep in debt.

Though he was indeed a spoiled rich kid, his family’s money was tied up in company accounts, and other investments couldn’t be liquidated immediately. He could only access so much cash, leaving him scrambling—and failing—to cover the sum.

When Bai Yu followed the attendant downstairs, Lewis was being held in a bar lounge. Despite his tall frame, he was whimpering like a scolded pup. A vein throbbed at Bai Yu’s temple. “Lewis, didn’t I warn you to take it easy?”

Even as a somewhat renowned dom in City A, Lewis now clutched his head and whimpered like a child. Bai Yu took a deep breath. “How much?”

Lewis named a figure. Bai Yu’s salary was decent, but the sum was way beyond his means—impossible to cover. He could only drag Lewis back to the sofa by his collar and slapped his phone down in front of him. “Call your father.”

Only Lewis’s father could pay this debt.

Lewis cried even harder. “No! They’ll haul me back home! My hobbies, my life, my clinic—they’ll all be gone!”

His father had long been fed up with his frivolous lifestyle and had criticized his money-losing clinic. If caught this time, he’d be stuck under house arrest forever.

Bai Yu couldn’t care less about Lewis’s hobbies and lifestyle—all of which were sketchy at best. But the clinic’s future was another matter. After a drawn-out pause, he finally said coldly, “Lewis, we have no choice.”

Unless the debt’s paid, Lewis wouldn’t be released.

“Think carefully… Or, this is every penny to my name. I can lend it to you—if you can find friends to cover the rest.”

The doctor exhaled sharply, sure his boss would be the death of him one day. He shoved the phone into Lewis’s hands without another word and stormed off to the deck to cool down.

The cruise ship’s deck had recreational facilities and an open-air lounge. Leaning against the railing, Bai Yu gazed at the azure sea until his anger finally subsided.

He didn’t notice at all that someone stood not far behind, watching him.

The aristocratic, biracial beauty held a ruby in his hand—flawless, glittering, exquisite. He hesitated, unsure whether to approach.

Imuir Hradelier, just a year ago, had been the Grand Duke of Illiria.

He and Bai Yu had walked side by side through countless seasons. They’d visited Illiria’s churches, finding foster parents for orphaned children. They’d opened schools to teach pet care. They’d traveled to neighboring lands, rediscovering fragrant spices from memory. Bards sang of their tales, court painters immortalized them in murals, and the ruby Imuir had first given the doctor was set into a crown—a symbol of his knighthood.

Then, one ordinary night, Imuir woke in confusion, now the black sheep of the family, clutching that very ruby.

The family’s schemes were amateur hour to Imuir, raised amid intrigue. He secured his position as head of the household with ease.

This world was good—advanced in technology and medicine, and, most importantly, kind to cats. During his transformation periods, Imuir could stroll out openly, lounging on park benches in the sun without fear of being captured for experiments or abuse. A year in, he’d taken to this life just fine.

The only problem was that he couldn’t find the doctor.

Imuir had panicked at first, then steadied himself. He was certain this was the world from the doctor’s fairy tales—and that the doctor was likely here too.

So began his long search.

Most of his influence lay across the ocean, making investigations difficult. With no leads for so long, Imuir grew despondent and took this cruise to clear his head.

And then—out of nowhere—a miracle.

The moment he saw Bai Yu, the Grand Duke had wanted to melt into his kitten shape and rub all over him. But he restrained himself, primping meticulously, hoping to knock the doctor’s socks off.

Instead, the doctor didn’t have a clue who he was.

The memories of Illyria seemed completely erased; the doctor treated him worse than a stranger, even willing to throw an arm around some random tall guy rather than spare a glance at the little cat.

Imuir scratched the table in frustration, gritted his teeth in helpless frustration, yet found himself utterly powerless. In the end, he lowered his gaze to the gem in his hand, placing his last hope on this stone that carried their shared memories to reawaken the doctor's recollection.

So, with slight unease, he stepped forward and slid the gem toward the doctor.

Imuir carefully phrased his words: "Sir, I believe this gem suits you perfectly. Can I give it to you?"

Bai Yu looked at the gem, then at the strikingly handsome stranger before him, and abruptly raised an eyebrow.

He did appreciate beauty, yes—but he disliked being coerced with a friend's safety at stake.

"Is that what you want?" Bai Yu's tone turned chilly as he accepted the gem, his tone cryptic. "I’ll think about it."